NREMT Paramedic key terms

An airway that is open and free of obstruction so air can move between the outside environment and the lungs. Blood, vomit, teeth, or a relaxed tongue can block it.

A curved plastic device inserted through the mouth to hold the tongue forward and away from the back of the throat. It is only for patients who have no gag reflex.

A soft tube passed through a nostril into the throat to keep the upper airway open. It may be used when a gag reflex is present and the mouth cannot easily be opened.

A tube inserted through the mouth that sits above the larynx and seals around it, allowing ventilation without seeing the vocal cords. Examples include laryngeal mask and King airways.

Passing a tube through the vocal cords into the trachea to secure the airway, deliver positive-pressure breaths, and reduce the risk of stomach contents entering the lungs.

Continuous measurement of carbon dioxide in exhaled air, shown as a number and a waveform. It confirms tube position, monitors breathing, and can reflect blood flow during CPR.

Pressurized air delivered through a tight-fitting mask that holds small airways and air sacs open, reducing the effort of breathing in conditions such as pulmonary edema.

Manual ventilation using a self-inflating bag attached to a mask. A good seal and two rescuers are needed, and chest rise should guide how much air is given.

The total amount of air moved into and out of the lungs in one minute, found by multiplying tidal volume by breathing rate. It determines how much carbon dioxide is cleared.

The volume of air moved in or out of the lungs with one breath. When ventilating, excessive volumes force air into the stomach and reduce blood return to the heart.

A chaotic rhythm in which the ventricles quiver instead of pumping, so no pulse is generated. It is treated immediately with CPR and defibrillation.

An organized electrical rhythm on the monitor that produces no palpable pulse. Treatment is CPR plus finding and fixing the cause, such as bleeding, hypoxia, or a tension pneumothorax.

A flat line on the monitor showing no electrical activity in the heart. It cannot be shocked; care is CPR, epinephrine, and correcting reversible causes.

An unsynchronized electrical shock that stuns chaotic heart muscle and allows the normal pacemaker to take over. It is used for ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia.

A shock timed to the patient's QRS complex to convert a fast rhythm that still produces a pulse. Conscious patients are sedated first when time allows.

The return of a palpable pulse and effective circulation after cardiac arrest. Care then focuses on supporting blood pressure and breathing and on finding what caused the arrest.

A recording of the heart's electrical activity from ten electrodes on the limbs and chest, giving twelve views of the heart. It reveals injury patterns and helps choose the receiving hospital.

An upward shift of the tracing between the QRS complex and the T wave. With a matching story of chest pain it suggests a blocked coronary artery that needs rapid reopening.

Compressions at 100 to 120 per minute, at least 5 cm deep, with full chest recoil and pauses kept short. Good compressions keep some blood flowing to the brain until the heart restarts.

An antiarrhythmic given during cardiac arrest for ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia that persists after shocks, and for stable wide-complex tachycardia. It calms overactive heart cells.

Poor tissue perfusion caused by losing blood. Early on, the heart rate rises and vessels narrow to keep blood pressure up, so a normal pressure does not rule out serious blood loss.

A band tightened high and tight on a limb to stop severe arterial bleeding when direct pressure fails. The time of application is recorded and reported to the receiving hospital.

Air trapped in the chest that cannot escape, building pressure that collapses a lung and pushes on the heart. Signs include worsening breathing, absent breath sounds on one side, and shock.

Inserting a needle through the chest wall into the pleural space to release trapped air causing a tension pneumothorax. It is a temporary fix that must be followed by definitive treatment.

Three signs of cardiac tamponade: falling blood pressure, bulging neck veins, and muffled heart sounds. All three are often absent, so the mechanism and steady decline matter more.

Techniques that limit bending and twisting of the head, neck, and spine during handling and transport. Padding, positioning, and a collar when needed replace routine backboard use.

A way to estimate how much body surface is burned by dividing the body into areas of about nine percent each. The estimate guides fluid replacement and transport decisions.

A severe allergic reaction that develops quickly and involves several body systems. Hives, wheezing, throat swelling, and low blood pressure are clues; epinephrine is the first and most important treatment.

Seizure activity that continues beyond about five minutes, or repeated seizures without recovery in between. It needs airway protection, a glucose check, and benzodiazepines to stop the firing.

Blood sugar low enough to disturb brain function, causing confusion, sweating, shakiness, or seizures. Give oral sugar if the patient can swallow safely, otherwise give glucose intravenously.

Sudden loss of brain function when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or a vessel ruptures. The time symptoms began decides whether clot-dissolving or clot-removal treatment is possible.

A dangerous whole-body reaction to infection that causes inflammation and poor perfusion. Suspect it when signs of infection appear with confusion, rapid breathing, or low blood pressure.

A drug that pushes opioids off their receptors and reverses slowed breathing. Its effect wears off before many opioids do, so the patient must be watched for returning sedation.

A flare of reactive airway disease with narrowed bronchioles, wheezing, and extra work of breathing. Oxygen, inhaled bronchodilators, and sometimes CPAP or epinephrine are used.

A standard management framework that lets responders from different agencies work under one set of roles, terms, and radio practices at an emergency.

Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment: a rapid sorting method for mass casualties that uses breathing, circulation, and mental status to label patients immediate, delayed, minor, or deceased.

An incident with more patients than the available crews can handle at once. Declaring it early brings extra resources and triggers triage and transport coordination.

The set of skills and duties a provider is legally allowed to perform, defined by state law and local medical direction. Working outside it creates legal and safety risk.

Permission assumed by law when a patient cannot respond, such as when unconscious or severely impaired. A reasonable person would want lifesaving care in that situation.