1. Substance abuse is MOST accurately defined as:
A. knowingly selling illicit drugs in order to buy more drugs.
B. willfully using a therapeutic drug to treat a medical illness.
C. unwillingly and unknowingly consuming drugs or alcohol.
D. knowingly misu
Answer: D
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 669
2. The EMT's primary responsibility to the patient who has been poisoned is to:
A. administer the appropriate antidote.
B. recognize that a poisoning occurred.
C. administer 25 g of activated charcoal.
D. contact poison control immediately.
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 669
3. Heroin is an example of a(n):
A. opioid.
B. hypnotic.
C. cholinergic.
D. sympathomimetic.
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 670
4. Hypotension, hypoventilation, and pinpoint pupils would be expected following an overdose of:
A. ecstasy.
B. oxycodone (Percocet).
C. amphetamine sulfate (Benzedrine).
D. crack cocaine.
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 670, 681
5. Signs and symptoms of a sympathomimetic drug overdose include:
A. sedation.
B. tachycardia.
C. hypotension.
D. slurred speech.
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 670
6. Which of the following drugs is NOT a sedative-hypnotic?
A. secobarbital (Seconal)
B. diazepam (Valium)
C. cocaine
D. flunitrazepam (Rohypnol)
Answer: C
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 670
7. Your paramedic partner administers atropine to a 49-year-old male with bradycardia. Which of the following side effects would you expect the patient to experience?
A. pupillary constriction
B. excessive lacrimation
C. a fall in blood pressure
D. dry mu
Answer: D
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 670
8. Which of the following questions would be of LEAST pertinence during the initial questioning of a patient who ingested a substance?
A. How much of the substance was taken?
B. How long ago was it taken?
C. What type of substance was taken?
D. Why was th
Answer: D
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 670
9. A poison that enters the body by __________ is the MOST difficult to treat.
A. injection
B. ingestion
C. inhalation
D. absorption
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 671
10. The poison control center will be able to provide you with the most information regarding the appropriate treatment for a patient with a drug overdose if the center:
A. knows the location of the closest hospital.
B. is aware of the patient's age and g
Answer: C
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 671
11. Which of the following statements regarding inhaled poisons is correct?
A. Lung damage may progress after the patient is removed from the environment.
B. Carbon monoxide is very irritating to the upper airway and may cause swelling.
C. Burns around th
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 672
12. Your priority in caring for a patient with a surface contact poisoning is to:
A. move the patient to a safe area.
B. avoid contaminating yourself.
C. decontaminate the patient's skin.
D. obtain and maintain a patent airway.
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 673
13. Phosphorus or elemental sodium should be brushed off of the skin instead of irrigated with water because:
A. water makes these chemicals impossible to remove.
B. severe swelling will occur when mixed with water.
C. this will eliminate the chances of y
Answer: D
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 674
14. Most poisonings occur via the __________ route.
A. ingestion
B. injection
C. inhalation
D. absorption
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 674
15. Syrup of ipecac is no longer recommended to treat patients who have ingested a poisonous substance because it:
A. has been linked to hypotension.
B. does not effectively induce vomiting.
C. may result in aspiration of vomitus.
D. has toxic effects on
Answer: C
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 674
16. Activated charcoal is given to patients who have ingested certain substances because it:
A. induces vomiting and empties the stomach.
B. binds to the substance and prevents absorption.
C. decreases absorption of poisons into the lungs.
D. is a direct
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 674
17. In general, injected poisons are impossible to dilute or remove because they:
A. are usually absorbed quickly into the body.
B. are usually fatal within 30 minutes of exposure.
C. absorb slowly into the body, despite their potency.
D. react with the b
Answer: A Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 676
18. As you enter the residence of a patient who has possibly overdosed, you should:
A. be alert for personal hazards.
B. look for drug paraphernalia.
C. observe the scene for drug bottles.
D. quickly gain access to the patient.
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 676
19. Your unit is dispatched to the county jail for an intoxicated inmate. Upon arrival, you find the patient, a 33-year-old male, lying supine in a jail cell. He is responsive to painful stimuli only and has slow, shallow respirations. You should be MOST
Answer: B
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 677
20. You receive a call to a residence where a man found his wife unconscious on the couch. The patient is unresponsive, her respiratory rate is 8 breaths/min, her breathing is shallow, her heart rate is 40 beats/min, and her pulse is weak. The husband han
Answer: A
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 677
21. It is MOST important to determine a patient's weight when asking questions pertaining to a toxic ingestion because:
A. additional help may be needed at the scene to lift the patient.
B. this will allow you to predict if the exposure is lethal.
C. this
Answer: D
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 678
22. Airborne substances are diluted with:
A. oxygen.
B. syrup of ipecac.
C. activated charcoal.
D. an alkaline antidote.
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 678
23. Activated charcoal administration is contraindicated in patients who have ingested:
A. ibuprofen.
B. acetaminophen (Tylenol).
C. acids or alkalis.
D. steroid drugs.
Answer: C
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 679
24. Common names for activated charcoal include all of the following, EXCEPT:
A. Fructose.
B. Actidose.
C. LiquiChar.
D. InstaChar.
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 679
25. The usual dose for activated charcoal is up to ______ for a pediatric patient and up to ______ for an adult patient.
A. 5 g, 10 g
B. 10 g, 20 g
C. 12.5 g, 25 g
D. 25 g, 50 g
Answer: D
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 679
26. A 4-year-old male ingested an unknown quantity of acetaminophen (Tylenol). The child's mother states that the ingestion occurred approximately 20 minutes ago. The child is conscious and alert and in no apparent distress. After contacting medical contr
Answer: C
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 679
27. Before giving activated charcoal, you should:
A. obtain approval from medical control.
B. have the patient drink a glass of milk.
C. mix it with an equal amount of water.
D. mix the suspension by stirring the bottle.
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 679
28. The major side effect associated with ingestion of activated charcoal is:
A. headache.
B. black stools.
C. abdominal pain.
D. ringing in the ears.
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 679
29. After administering activated charcoal to a patient, it is MOST important to:
A. call medical control.
B. be alert for vomiting.
C. reassess the patient's blood pressure.
D. document the intervention.
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 679
30. A person who routinely misuses a substance and requires increasing amounts to achieve the same effect is experiencing a(n):
A. addiction.
B. dependence.
C. withdrawal.
D. tolerance.
Answer: D
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 679
31. The MOST commonly abused drug in the United States is:
A. cocaine.
B. alcohol.
C. codeine.
D. marijuana.
Answer: B
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 680
32. A hypnotic drug is one that:
A. induces sleep.
B. prevents amnesia.
C. increases the pulse.
D. increases the senses.
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 680
33. When caring for a known alcoholic patient with severe trauma to the chest and abdomen, you should be concerned that:
A. delirium tremens (DTs) are commonly induced by physical trauma and can lead to life-threatening seizures.
B. internal bleeding may
Answer: B Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 680-681
34. DTs is a syndrome associated with withdrawal from:
A. cocaine.
B. opioids.
C. alcohol.
D. sedatives.
Answer: C
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 681
35. A 49-year-old male presents with confusion, sweating, and visual hallucinations. The patient's wife tells you that he is a heavy drinker and she thinks he had a seizure shortly before your arrival. This patient is MOST likely experiencing:
A. acute hy
Answer: D
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 681
36. During your assessment of a 50-year-old male who was found unconscious in an alley, you note that he has slow, shallow respirations; significant bradycardia; facial cyanosis; and pinpoint pupils. As your partner begins assisting the patient's ventilat
Answer: A
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 681
37. You and your paramedic partner are caring for a patient who ingested codeine, acetaminophen (Tylenol), and propoxyphene (Darvon). The patient is unresponsive, his breathing is slow and shallow, and his pulse is slow and weak. Treatment for this patien
Answer: A Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 681-682
38. You respond to a local motel for a young female who was sexually assaulted. The patient is conscious but confused. She tells you that the last thing she remembers was drinking beer at a club with her friends the night before. When she awoke, she was i
Answer: C
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 682
39. You respond to a college campus for a young male who is acting strangely. After law enforcement has secured the scene, you enter the patient's dorm room and find him sitting on the edge of the bed; he appears agitated. As you approach him, you note th
Answer: D
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 684
40. In an apparent suicide attempt, a 19-year-old female ingested a full bottle of amitriptyline (Elavil). At present, she is conscious and alert and states that she swallowed the pills approximately 30 minutes earlier. Her blood pressure is 90/50 mm Hg,
Answer: D
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 685
41. You are dispatched to a local nursery for a 39-year-old female who is sick. When you arrive, you find the patient lying on the floor. She is semiconscious, has copious amounts of saliva coming from her mouth, and is incontinent of urine. You quickly f
Answer: B
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 685
42. Atropine sulfate and pralidoxime chloride are antidotes for:
A. lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
B. diphenhydramine (Benadryl).
C. nerve gas agents.
D. anticholinergic drugs.
Answer: C Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 685
43. A patient who presents with rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting, ringing in the ears, and a high fever should be suspected of ingesting a significant quantity of:
A. cocaine.
B. aspirin.
C. Tylenol.
D. ibuprofen.
Answer: B Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 685
44. An overdose on acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, will MOST likely cause:
A. liver failure.
B. gastric ulcers.
C. kidney failure.
D. central nervous system (CNS) depression.
Answer: A
Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 686
45. Which of the following statements regarding the Salmonella bacterium is correct?
A. Refrigeration of food will prevent salmonellosis.
B. Symptoms of salmonellosis appear within 12 hours.
C. The Salmonella bacterium produces toxins that cause food pois
Answer: D Question Type: General Knowledge
Page: 687
46. A 3-year-old female ingested several leaves from a plant in the living room. The child's mother is not sure what type of plant it is, stating that she bought it simply because it was pretty. After completing your initial assessment of the child, you s
Answer: C
Question Type: Critical Thinking
Page: 689