Emt Chapter 8 Patient Assessment

Front 1

The secondary muscles of respiration. They include the neck muscles (sternocleidomastoids), the chest pectoralis major muscles, and the abdominal muscles.

Back 1

accessory muscles

Front 2

To listen to sounds within an organ with a stethoscope.

Back 2

auscultate

Front 3

A method of assessing the level of consciousness by determining whether the patient is awake and alert, responsive to verbal stimuli or pain, or unresponsive; used principally early in the assessment process

Back 3

AVPU scale

Front 4

The pressure of circulating blood against the walls of the arteries.

Back 4

blood pressure

Front 5

A slow heart rate, less than 60 beats/min.

Back 5

bradycardia

Front 6

An indication of air movement in the lungs, usually assessed with a stethoscope.

Back 6

breath sounds

Front 7

A test that evaluates distal circulatory system function by squeezing (blanching) blood from an area such as a nail bed and watching the speed of its return after releasing the pressure.

Back 7

capillary refill

Front 8

A noninvasive method that can quickly and efficiently provide information on a patient's ventilatory status, circulation, and metabolism.

Back 8

capnography

Front 9

The use of a capnometer, a device that measures the amount of expired carbon dixoide.

Back 9

capnometry

Front 10

A component of air that typically makes up 0.3% of air at sea level; also a waste product exhaled during expiration by the respiratory system.

Back 10

carbon dioxide

Front 11

The reason a patient called for help; also, the patient's response to questions such as "What's wrong?" or "What happened?"

Back 11

chief complaint

Front 12

To form a clot to plug an opening in an injured blood vessel and stop bleeding.

Back 12

coagulate

Front 13

Capnometer or end-tidal carbon dioxide detectors are devices that use a chemical reaction to detect the amount of carbon dioxide present in expired gases by changing colors (qualitative measurement rather than quantitative).

Back 13

colorimetric devices

Front 14

The delicate membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the exposed surface of the eye.

Back 14

conjunctiva

Front 15

A grating or grinding sensation caused by fractured bone ends or joints rubbing together; also air bubbles under the skin that produce a crackling sound or crinkly feeling.

Back 15

crepitus

Front 16

A bluish gray skin color that is caused by a reduced level of oxygen in the blood.

Back 16

cyanosis

Front 17

A mnemonic for assessment in which each area of the body is evaluated for Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures/penetrations, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, and Swelling.

Back 17

DCAP-BTLS

Front 18

Characterized by profuse sweating.

Back 18

diaphoretic

Front 19

The pressure that remains in the arteries during the relaxing phase of the heart's cycle (diastole) when the left ventricle is at rest.

Back 19

diastolic pressure

Front 20

The amount of carbon dioxide present in exhaled breath.

Back 20

end-tidal CO2

Front 21

A type of physical assessment that is typically performed on patients who have sustained nonsignificant mechanisms of injury or on responsive medical patients. This type of examination is based on the chief complaint and focuses on one body system or part.

Back 21

focused assessment

Front 22

Damage to tissues as the result of exposure to cold; frozen or partially frozen body parts are frostbitten.

Back 22

frostbite

Front 23

A systematic head-to-toe examination that is performed during the secondary assessment on a patient who has sustained a significant mechanism of injury, is unconscious, or is in critical condition.

Back 23

full-body scan

Front 24

The overall initial impression that determines the priority for patient care; based on the patient's surroundings, the mechanism of injury, signs and symptoms, and the chief complaint.

Back 24

general impression

Front 25

The time from injury to definitive care, during which treatment of shock and traumatic injuries should occur because survival potential is best.

Back 25

Golden Period

Front 26

Involuntary muscle contractions (spasms) of the abdominal wall in an effort to protect an inflamed abdomen; a sign of peritonitis.

Back 26

guarding

Front 27

A step within the patient assessment process that provides detail about the patient's chief complaint and an account of the patient's signs and symptoms.

Back 27

history taking

Front 28

Blood pressure that is higher than the normal range.

Back 28

hypertension

Front 29

Blood pressure that is lower than the normal range.

Back 29

hypotension

Front 30

A condition in which the internal body temperature falls below 95°F (35°C), usually as a result of prolonged exposure to cool or freezing temperatures.

Back 30

hypothermia

Front 31

A system implemented to manage disasters and mass-casualty incidents in which section chiefs, including finance, logistics, operations, and planning, report to the incident commander.

Back 31

incident command system (ICS)

Front 32

Yellow skin or sclera that is caused by liver disease or dysfunction.

Back 32

jaundice

Front 33

Breathing that requires greater than normal effort; may be slower or faster than normal and usually requires the use of accessory muscles.

Back 33

labored breathing

Front 34

The way in which traumatic injuries occur; the forces that act on the body to cause damage.

Back 34

mechanism of injury (MOI)

Front 35

Flaring out of the nostrils, indicating that there is an airway obstruction.

Back 35

nasal flaring

Front 36

The general type of illness a patient is experiencing.

Back 36

nature of illness (NOI)

Front 37

An abbreviation for key terms used in evaluating a patient's pain: Onset, Provocation or Palliation, Quality, Region/radiation, Severity, and Timing of pain.

Back 37

OPQRST

Front 38

The mental status of a patient as measured by memory of person (name), place (current location), time (current year, month, and approximate date), and event (what happened).

Back 38

orientation

Front 39

To examine by touch.

Back 39

palpate

Front 40

The motion of the portion of the chest wall that is detached in a flail chest; the motion—in during inhalation, out during exhalation—is exactly the opposite of normal chest wall motion during breathing.

Back 40

paradoxical motion

Front 41

Circulation of blood within an organ or tissue in adequate amounts to meet current needs of the cells.

Back 41

perfusion

Front 42

Clothing or specialized equipment that provides protection to the wearer.

Back 42

personal protective equipment (PPE)

Front 43

Negative findings that warrant no care or intervention.

Back 43

pertinent negatives

Front 44

A step within the patient assessment process that identifies and initiates treatment of immediate and potential life threats.

Back 44

primary assessment

Front 45

The pressure wave that occurs as each heartbeat causes a surge in the blood circulating through the arteries.

Back 45

pulse

Front 46

An assessment tool that measures oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the capillary beds.

Back 46

pulse oximetry

Front 47

A crackling, rattling breath sound that signals fluid in the air spaces of the lungs; also called crackles.

Back 47

rales

Front 48

A step within the patient assessment process that is performed at regular intervals to identify and treat changes in a patient's condition. A patient in unstable condition should be reassessed every 5 minutes, whereas a patient in stable condition should be reassessed every 15 minutes.

Back 48

reassessment

Front 49

The way in which a patient responds to external stimuli, including verbal stimuli (sound), tactile stimuli (touch), and painful stimuli.

Back 49

responsiveness

Front 50

Movements in which the skin pulls in around the ribs during inspiration.

Back 50

retractions

Front 51

Coarse, low-pitched breath sounds heard in patients with chronic mucus in the upper airways.

Back 51

rhonchi

Front 52

A brief history of a patient's condition to determine signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, pertinent past history, last oral intake, and events leading to the injury or illness.

Back 52

SAMPLE history

Front 53

A step within the patient assessment process that involves a quick assessment of the scene and the surroundings to provide information about scene safety and the mechanism of injury or nature of illness before you enter and begin patient care.

Back 53

scene size-up

Front 54

The tough, fibrous, white portion of the eye that protects the more delicate inner structures.

Back 54

sclera

Front 55

A step within the patient assessment process in which a systematic physical examination of the patient is performed. The examination may be a systematic full-body scan or a systematic assessment that focuses on a certain area or region of the body, often determined through the chief complaint.

Back 55

secondary assessment

Front 56

Respirations that are charcterized by little movement of the chest wall (reduced tidal volume) or poor chest excursion.

Back 56

shallow respirations

Front 57

Objective findings that can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, or measured.

Back 57

sign

Front 58

An upright position in which the patient's head and chin are thrust slightly forward to keep the airway open.

Back 58

sniffing position

Front 59

Breathing that occurs with no assistance.

Back 59

spontaneous respirations

Front 60

Protective measures that have traditionally been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for use in dealing with objects, blood, body fluids, and other potential exposure risks of communicable disease.

Back 60

standard precautions

Front 61

A high-pitched noise heard primarily on inspiration.

Back 61

stridor

Front 62

A characteristic crackling sensation felt on palpation of the skin, caused by the presence of air in soft tissues.

Back 62

subcutaneous emphysema

Front 63

Subjective findings that the patient feels but that can be identified only by the patient.

Back 63

symptom

Front 64

The increased pressure in an artery with each contraction of the ventricles (systole).

Back 64

systolic pressure

Front 65

A rapid heart rate, more than 100 beats/min.

Back 65

tachycardia

Front 66

The amount of air (in milliliters) that is moved in or out of the lungs during one breath.

Back 66

tidal volume

Front 67

The process of sorting patients based on the severity of injury and medical need to establish treatment and transportation priorities.

Back 67

triage

Front 68

An upright position in which the patient leans forward onto two arms stretched forward and thrusts the head and chin forward.

Back 68

tripod position

Front 69

A severe breathing problem in which a patient can speak only two to three words at a time without pausing to take a breath.

Back 69

two- to three-word dyspnea

Front 70

Narrowing of a blood vessel, such as with hypoperfusion or cold extremeties.

Back 70

vasoconstriction

Front 71

The key signs that are used to evaluate the patient's overall condition, including respirations, pulse, blood pressure, level of consciousness, and skin characteristics.

Back 71

vital signs