NREMT EMR flashcards
NREMT EMR · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Head-tilt, chin-lift
- Opening maneuver used for an unresponsive patient with no suspected spinal trauma; it lifts the tongue away from the back of the throat. Jaw-thrust replaces it when spinal injury is suspected.
- Oropharyngeal airway size
- Measured from the corner of the mouth to the earlobe or angle of the jaw; inserted only in unresponsive patients who have no gag reflex.
- Nasopharyngeal airway
- Measured from the nostril to the earlobe and lubricated before insertion into a nostril; avoided when a basilar skull fracture is suspected.
- Suction time limits
- No more than 15 seconds in an adult, 10 seconds in a child, and 5 seconds in an infant; oxygenate between attempts and suction only on the way out.
- Nonrebreather oxygen flow
- 10 to 15 liters per minute with the reservoir inflated, delivering up to about 90 percent oxygen to a patient who is breathing adequately.
- BVM ventilation rate
- Adult rate is 10 to 12 breaths per minute, one squeeze every 5 to 6 seconds, each squeeze over 1 second, using only enough volume for visible chest rise.
- Adult CPR compression depth
- At least 2 inches (5 cm) and no more than 2.4 inches, at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute, allowing full chest recoil between compressions.
- Compression-ventilation ratio
- 30 compressions to 2 breaths for adults and for children or infants with one rescuer; 15 to 2 for children and infants with two rescuers.
- AED pad placement
- One pad below the right clavicle and one on the left lower ribs lateral to the nipple; dry a wet chest and remove medication patches first.
- Pulse check limit
- No more than 10 seconds to check the carotid pulse; if the rescuer is unsure whether a pulse is present, compressions are started.
- Aspirin for chest pain
- 324 mg chewed for suspected cardiac chest pain when there is no aspirin allergy and no signs of active bleeding; given under protocol.
- Nitroglycerin contraindications
- Systolic blood pressure below 100 mmHg, head injury or stroke, recent use of erectile-dysfunction medication, and known allergy to nitrates.
- Tourniquet placement
- Applied 2 to 3 inches above the bleeding wound, never over a joint; tightened until bleeding stops, with the application time recorded and kept visible.
- Signs of shock
- Pale, cool, clammy skin, a rapid weak pulse, rapid shallow breathing, and restlessness or altered mental status; treated with bleeding control, oxygen, warmth, and rapid transport.
- Rule of Nines adult
- Head 9 percent, each arm 9 percent, anterior trunk 18 percent, posterior trunk 18 percent, each leg 18 percent, genitalia 1 percent; the patient's palm is about 1 percent.
- Care of amputated part
- Wrap the part in sterile gauze, seal it in a plastic bag, and place the bag on ice; never let the part touch ice directly or sit in water.
- Impaled object management
- Leave the object in place, stabilize it with bulky dressings around it, control bleeding, and transport; removal in the field can worsen bleeding and tissue damage.
- Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale
- Tests facial droop, arm drift, and abnormal speech; any one abnormal finding suggests stroke. Record the time the patient was last known well.
- Hypoglycemia treatment
- A conscious patient who can swallow receives oral glucose per protocol; an unresponsive patient receives nothing by mouth and needs airway management and rapid transport.
- Anaphylaxis epinephrine dose
- Auto-injector delivers 0.3 mg for adults and 0.15 mg for children, injected into the lateral thigh; the dose may be repeated per protocol.
- Seizure care
- Protect the patient from injury, do not restrain or place anything in the mouth, and time the seizure; a seizure over 5 minutes is status epilepticus.
- AEIOU-TIPS
- Causes of altered mental status: alcohol, epilepsy and endocrine, insulin, overdose, uremia, trauma, infection, poisoning, and stroke or seizure.
- Supine hypotensive syndrome
- After about 20 weeks of pregnancy the uterus compresses the inferior vena cava when the patient lies flat; treat by tilting the patient onto the left side.
- Prolapsed umbilical cord
- Place the patient knee-chest or Trendelenburg, lift the presenting part off the cord with a gloved hand, keep the cord moist, and transport immediately.
- Newborn initial care
- Dry, warm, position, and stimulate the newborn, then assess breathing and heart rate; ventilate at 40 to 60 per minute if the rate is below 100 or the baby is apneic.
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Blood loss greater than 500 mL after delivery; treated with uterine fundal massage, oxygen, keeping the patient warm, and rapid transport.
- Preeclampsia warning signs
- High blood pressure with severe headache, visual changes, or swelling; seizures indicate eclampsia. Handle the patient gently and minimize stimulation.
- Standard precautions
- Treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious; gloves are the minimum, with eye protection and a mask when splashing is likely.
- START triage
- Sorts patients by respirations, perfusion, and mental status into immediate, delayed, minor, and deceased categories so the most treatable are moved first.
- Implied consent
- Consent assumed for an unresponsive patient, or for one with a condition serious enough that a reasonable person would want treatment.
- Radio report elements
- Unit identification, patient age and sex, chief complaint, vital signs, treatment given, and estimated time of arrival.
- Hazardous materials zones
- The hot zone is contaminated, the warm zone is the decontamination corridor, and the cold zone is safe for treatment; responders without training stay out.