Why should EMTs study pharmacology?
As an EMT, you will be trusted to administer medications in emergency situations; many of these may be lifesaving, but there is potential to do harm.
Which of the following is a complete list of the medications an EMT can assist the patient in taking or administer under the direction of the Medical Director?
Aspirin, oral glucose, oxygen, prescribed bronchodilator inhalers, nitroglycerin, and epinephrine auto-injectors
Why do EMTs give aspirin to the patient on the ambulance?
Aspirin reduces the blood's ability to clot and works to prevent clot formation in patients suffering chest pain.
What condition must be present before you give oral glucose?
The patient must be conscious and able to swallow with an altered mental status and history of diabetes.
What medication is given when a patient suffers from a medical or traumatic condition called hypoxia?
Oxygen
Which of the following statements is true concerning oxygen?
Never withhold oxygen to any patient who needs it.
Nitroglycerin is indicated for which of the following chief complaints?
Chest pain
Which of the following is a potential side effect of nitroglycerin?
Decreased blood pressure
Which of the following is often prescribed for a patient with a heart condition?
Nitroglycerin
Epinephrine delivered by auto-injector may be indicated for patients with which of the following conditions?
Severe allergies to peanut, shellfish, penicillin, or bee stings
Which of the following is a desired action of epinephrine delivered by auto-injector?
Constriction of blood vessels
Which of the following is an example of a medication's trade name?
Nitrostat
Which of the following BEST describes a contraindication to a medication?
A reason why you should avoid giving a medication to a patient
A drug's form refers to which of the following?
Its physical state, such as powder, liquid, or gas
Which of the following describes the sublingual route of medication administration?
The medication is placed under the tongue.
Your patient is a 59-year-old woman with a history of emphysema. Per protocol, you have assisted the patient in using her medication inhaler. Which of the following must be documented?
The patient's response to the medication
How is activated charcoal, which is carried by some EMS systems, supplied for use in emergency situations?
As a powder, which is premixed with water
Which of the following should you anticipate when giving nitroglycerin to a patient?
A drop in the patient's blood pressure
A patient complaint of headache
A change in the level of pain experienced by the patient
All of the above
All of the above
You have just administered nitroglycerin to a 68-year-old patient. Within a few minutes, she complains of feeling faint and lightheaded, but states that she is still having some chest pain. Which of the following would be the BEST sequence of actions?
Lower the head of the stretcher and take the patient's blood pressure.
You respond to a medical call for a 59-year-old female complaining of tightness in her chest. You place her on a high concentration of oxygen and prepare for a short 5-minute transport to the hospital. The patient tells you she is on nitroglycerin, which
Yes, the nitroglycerin will cause the blood vessels to dilate and restore some blood flow, and the aspirin will slow the clotting process.
Which of the following instructions should you give to a patient whom you are about to assist with administering epinephrine?
I am going to inject medication into your thigh.
Bronchodilator inhalers have several common side effects, which include:
Jitteriness and increased heart rate.
What is the first step in giving aerosol medications?
Determine that the inhaler actually belongs to the patient.
Nitroglycerin (Nitro) is used for patients with recurrent chest pain or a history of heart attack. Nitro is supplied in what two ways?
Pills and spray
What are the actions of nitroglycerin on the human body?
It causes the dilation of coronary blood vessels that supply the heart muscle.
A serious negative interaction for giving Nitrostat is a drug interaction with what medications?
Viagra, Levitra, or medication for erectile dysfunction
Name the type of medical direction consisting of standing orders and protocols.
Off-line
What is the indication for giving an epinephrine auto-injector in a life-threatening allergic reaction?
It will help constrict the patient's blood vessels and relax the airway passages.
What are the names given to each medication listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia?
Trade, chemical, and generic
The symptoms or circumstances for which a medication is given are called:
Indications.
When you give patients nitroglycerin, they sometimes develop a headache. This would be called a:
Side effect
You are called to the school where a 16-year-old female has trouble breathing from a possible allergic reaction. You arrive and find the patient wheezing, with cool clammy skin, and holding an epinephrine auto-injector. After you assess the patient and co
Side effects.
The epinephrine auto-injector is given via the _______________ route.
Parenteral
Nitroglycerin is given via the _______________ route.
Sublingual
Which of the following BEST describes the five rights?
Right patient, right medication, right time, right dose, right route
Choose the correct completion to this statement regarding IV administration: This route is used to administer medication into the body directly or through the bloodstream and is:
Beyond the scope of the EMT level.
The study of the effects of medications on the body in relation to age and weight is called:
Pharmacodynamics.
The EMT, after administering any medication, must do which of the following?
Document the administration, reassess the patient, and report to the receiving facility.
You are called to assist a 25-year-old female patient who is in profound respiratory distress. The patient has a history of asthma and severe allergies to peanuts. She has a prescribed albuterol inhaler and an epinephrine auto-injector. The patient states
Request to assist the patient with her epinephrine pen for anaphylaxis.
You are on the scene of a 48-year-old male patient complaining of chest pain. He has nitroglycerin prescribed and available. After performing your physical examination, you contact medical control and are ordered to assist the patient in taking his nitrog
Suffering from the side effects of nitroglycerin.
You are on the scene of a 68-year-old patient with a history of COPD who is breathing 44 times per minute and has a diminished level of consciousness. His wife states he has an Albuterol inhaler and nitroglycerin tablets for angina. What is the most impor
Oxygen by bag-valve mask
What is the first medication that should be administered to a patient experiencing chest pain with difficulty breathing?
Oxygen
What is the most important medication that should be administered to a patient experiencing chest pain with difficulty breathing?
Aspirin
You are on the scene of a 70-year-old female patient complaining of chest pain. After performing your assessment, you call medical control to assist the patient in administering her nitroglycerin. After receiving permission from medical control, you admin
Report the medication error.
You are on the scene at a fancy hotel room for a 60-year-old male patient who calls 911 at 10 p.m. for chest pains. He states he was about to go to bed when he suddenly had chest pain that would not go away. He rates his pain as a 7 out of 10 and is diaph
To administer aspirin to the patient.
You are called to an elementary school for an 8-year-old female patient who is experiencing respiratory distress. The school nurse states the patient has an epinephrine auto-injector for a possible anaphylactic reaction to bee stings. The patient also has
Contact medical control and request to assist the patient with her Albuterol.
You are called to assist a 25-year-old female patient who is in profound respiratory distress. The patient has a history of asthma and severe allergies to peanuts. She has a prescribed Albuterol inhaler and an epinephrine auto-injector. The patient states
Anaphylaxis
An EMT is on the scene of a 48-year-old male patient complaining of chest pain. He has nitroglycerin prescribed and available. After performing the primary and secondary assessments, the EMT contacts medical control and is ordered to assist the patient in
The medication was exposed to varying climatic conditions.
How does nitroglycerin decrease the level of chest pain that a patient experiences?
It dilates the blood vessels, allowing more blood to enter the heart muscle.
How does aspirin actually reduce the chances that a patient suffering a heart attack will die?
It reduces the ability of the blood to form clots.
Albuterol and epinephrine both have bronchodilation properties that improve the amount of oxygen that a person can inhale and absorb. However, Albuterol is administered only for asthma, whereas epinephrine is administered for both asthma and anaphylaxis.
Albuterol is not a vasoconstrictor.
You are on the scene of a 44-year-old female patient who has attempted suicide by taking all 30 pills of her antidepressant medication at once. You are ordered by medical control to administer activated charcoal. How will activated charcoal reduce the eff
Activated charcoal will bind to the medication, reducing absorption.
A common side effect of nitroglycerin reported by patients is a pounding headache. How does nitroglycerin cause a headache while simultaneously reducing chest pain?
Nitroglycerin dilates the blood vessels, increasing blood flow to the heart, and increases the pressure in the cerebral vessels.
Which of the following is true regarding use of activated charcoal?
Many systems allow EMTs to administer activated charcoal
Which of the following is true regarding administration of an inhaled bronchodilator to your patient?
The medication must be prescribed to the patient.
Medications listed in the USP are listed by their:
generic name
Microdrip and macrodrip are examples of
IV tubing