Free NREMT AEMT Exam Flashcards

A patent airway is always the first assessment and intervention priority. In a responsive patient, talking clearly indicates an open airway; in an unresponsive patient, open the airway and look, listen, and feel before any other intervention except chest compressions in arrest.

An OPA holds the tongue off the posterior pharynx and is used only in patients with no gag reflex. Inserting one in a patient with an intact gag reflex can cause vomiting, laryngospasm, or aspiration—use an NPA instead.

An NPA is tolerated by patients with an intact gag reflex but should not be used when there is suspected basilar skull fracture or significant midface trauma because of the risk of intracranial placement.

Effective BVM ventilation produces visible chest rise, improving color, and rising SpO2. Excessive rate or volume causes gastric insufflation and reduced cardiac output—ventilate at the recommended rate with only enough volume to see chest rise.

A blind-insertion airway device (such as a King LT or i-gel) seats above the glottis to ventilate without direct laryngoscopy. It is within AEMT scope and is used when BVM ventilation is inadequate; confirm placement with chest rise and waveform capnography.

Hypoxemia is low oxygen in arterial blood; hypoxia is inadequate oxygen at the tissue level. A patient can be hypoxic with a normal SpO2 (for example, in carbon monoxide poisoning), so treat the clinical picture, not just the number.

Adequate breathing has a normal rate, regular pattern, and good tidal volume. Signs of inadequate breathing—accessory muscle use, retractions, cyanosis, altered mental status, very fast or slow rate—require assisted ventilation, not just oxygen.

Measures exhaled CO2 breath by breath. It confirms airway placement, detects displacement (sudden loss of waveform), and trends ventilation and perfusion—an abrupt rise in EtCO2 during CPR can indicate return of spontaneous circulation.

Push hard and fast at the recommended rate and depth, allow full chest recoil, minimize interruptions, and avoid excessive ventilation. Compression quality and minimal pauses are the strongest modifiable predictors of survival.

Ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia are shockable—defibrillate immediately. Asystole and pulseless electrical activity are non-shockable—continue CPR and treat reversible causes; do not defibrillate.

For witnessed arrest in a shockable rhythm, the time to first defibrillation is critical—survival declines for every minute of delay. CPR is performed continuously until the device is ready to analyze and shock.

Classic: pressure-like chest pain radiating to arm or jaw with diaphoresis and dyspnea. Atypical presentations—epigastric discomfort, fatigue, or no chest pain—are common in women, older adults, and people with diabetes.

Chewable aspirin inhibits platelet aggregation and is given for suspected ACS unless contraindicated (allergy or active bleeding). Chewing speeds absorption; nitroglycerin is administered per protocol after checking for contraindications.

Avoid nitroglycerin with hypotension, suspected right ventricular infarction, or recent phosphodiesterase inhibitor use (e.g., sildenafil) because profound hypotension can result. Reassess blood pressure before and after each dose.

Pump failure—often after large myocardial infarction—causing hypotension despite adequate volume, with pulmonary edema and poor perfusion. Aggressive fluid boluses can worsen it; treatment focuses on oxygenation, careful positioning, and rapid transport.

In uncontrolled hemorrhagic trauma, the goal is enough perfusion to maintain mentation and a radial pulse rather than restoring a normal blood pressure, because over-resuscitation can dislodge clots and worsen bleeding.

Apply a tourniquet for life-threatening extremity hemorrhage not controlled by direct pressure. Place it proximal to the wound, tighten until bleeding stops, note the time, and do not loosen it in the field.

Compensated shock maintains blood pressure through tachycardia and vasoconstriction (anxiety, pallor, weak pulses). Decompensated shock shows falling blood pressure and altered mental status—a late, ominous sign requiring rapid intervention.

Air trapped under pressure in the pleural space causing severe respiratory distress, hypotension, absent breath sounds on one side, and (late) tracheal deviation and JVD. It is a rapidly fatal, time-critical emergency.

A late sign of severely increased intracranial pressure: rising blood pressure (widening pulse pressure), bradycardia, and irregular respirations. It indicates impending brain herniation and the need for rapid transport.

Modern practice limits spinal motion based on assessment criteria (mechanism, pain, neurologic deficit, distracting injury, intoxication) rather than immobilizing every trauma patient. Manual stabilization is maintained during airway management.

Severity depends on depth, total body surface area, location, age, and inhalation injury. Airway burns, circumferential burns, and burns to the face, hands, feet, or genitalia are high-priority regardless of size.

Hypoglycemia develops rapidly with diaphoresis, tremor, and altered mental status, and is rapidly correctable. Hyperglycemia/DKA develops over hours to days with dehydration, deep rapid (Kussmaul) breathing, and a fruity breath odor.

Oral glucose is given to a hypoglycemic patient who is awake and can protect their own airway and swallow. It is contraindicated in an unresponsive patient or one who cannot swallow because of aspiration risk.

A rapid multi-system allergic reaction: skin (urticaria, angioedema) plus respiratory compromise or hypotension. Epinephrine is the first-line, time-critical treatment; antihistamines and steroids are adjuncts, not substitutes.

Prehospital stroke screens (such as Cincinnati: facial droop, arm drift, speech) identify likely stroke. Establishing the last-known-well time is essential because it determines eligibility for time-dependent definitive treatment.

A seizure lasting more than five minutes or repeated seizures without recovery of consciousness. It is a true emergency—protect the airway, give oxygen, prevent injury, and transport rapidly for definitive treatment.

Crowning, strong frequent contractions, and an urge to push or bear down indicate delivery is imminent—prepare to deliver on scene rather than transport. Support the head, suction only if needed, and keep the newborn warm and dry.

After delivery, the priorities are warming, drying, stimulating, and positioning the airway. If the newborn remains apneic or heart rate is low after stimulation and airway clearing, begin assisted ventilation—the most effective initial intervention.

In late pregnancy, a supine position lets the uterus compress the inferior vena cava, reducing venous return and causing hypotension. Place the patient in left lateral recumbent position to relieve the compression.

Naloxone reverses opioid-induced respiratory depression. Because its duration is often shorter than the opioid, re-sedation can occur—continue to monitor ventilation and be prepared to support breathing or repeat the dose.

Suspect sepsis with known or suspected infection plus signs of poor perfusion—fever or hypothermia, tachycardia, tachypnea, and altered mental status. Early recognition and rapid transport for source control improve outcomes.

Performed before patient contact: scene safety, standard precautions, mechanism of injury or nature of illness, number of patients, and need for additional resources. Provider and bystander safety always precede patient care.

A mass-casualty sorting method assessing the ability to walk, respirations, perfusion, and mental status to assign immediate, delayed, minor, or expectant categories. The goal is the greatest good for the greatest number, not individual best care.

Legal assumption that an unconscious or incapacitated patient who cannot consent would want lifesaving care. It applies when a reasonable person would consent and the patient is unable to make an informed decision.

A competent adult may refuse care. Document that the patient is alert, oriented, and not impaired; that risks were explained and understood; and that they were advised to call back. A valid refusal requires decision-making capacity.

A standardized management structure for coordinating personnel, communications, and resources at an incident. It establishes a single chain of command and clear roles, which is essential during multi-agency or large-scale responses.

Approach a hazardous-materials scene from uphill and upwind, stay outside the hot zone, and rely on identification resources before contact. Patient care occurs only after appropriate decontamination and zone control.

Patient care reports should be accurate, objective, timely, and complete. Errors are corrected with a single line through the entry, an initial, and the correction—never erased or obscured—because the record is a legal document.

The first step of clinical judgment: identifying relevant, abnormal, or expected findings from the scene, history, and assessment. Distinguishing significant cues from background noise drives the rest of decision-making.

Linking and interpreting collected cues to make sense of the patient's condition—clustering findings, comparing them to expected patterns, and determining which are most concerning.

Ranking possible explanations by urgency and likelihood so the most life-threatening, plausible problem is addressed first. This step prevents fixation on a less critical issue while a true emergency is missed.

Identifying appropriate interventions and expected outcomes for the prioritized problem within AEMT scope and protocol. It connects the working diagnosis to a defined action plan rather than acting reflexively.

Implementing the highest-priority intervention—such as airway support, hemorrhage control, or oxygenation—safely and in the correct sequence. The most life-threatening problem is treated before lower-priority care.

Reassessing the patient after an intervention to determine whether it worked and whether the plan should change. Continuous reassessment is essential for unstable patients during transport.

Form a general impression, then assess mental status and airway, breathing, circulation, and identify priority/transport decision. Life threats found in the primary assessment are managed before moving on.

Stable patients are typically reassessed less frequently than unstable patients, who require more frequent reassessment. Reassessment repeats the primary survey, vitals, and the effect of interventions to detect deterioration early.

The receiver repeats back an order or message and the sender confirms it. It reduces errors during resuscitations and handoffs by verifying that information was received correctly.

Anticipating likely injuries or illness based on mechanism, environment, and presentation even before findings are obvious—for example, suspecting internal injury from a significant mechanism despite a normal-appearing patient.

Fixating on an initial impression and failing to revise it as new information appears. Deliberate reassessment and consideration of alternatives counter this common clinical-judgment error.