Blog

A patient with diabetes who took insulin earlier is found unresponsive with a blood glucose level of 29 mg/dL. Which piece of information provided by family gives the best explanation for the patient’s altered mental status?

An alert and distressed 72-year-old male patient with a history of pulmonary edema from heart failure is in severe respiratory distress, breathing 28 to 32 times per minute. His airway is patent, respirations are labored, crackles are heard in the bases of the lungs, and skin is found to be diaphoretic with a rapid radial pulse. Other vital signs are pulse, 136; blood pressure, 202/110 mmHg; and SpO2, 83%. Cyanosis is evident in the fingertips. The best treatment for this patient’s breathing difficulty would be:

A 71-year-old female patient complains of the sudden onset of shortness of breath and rapid breathing. She also states that she is experiencing some chest pain that seems to worsen when she takes a deep breath. The primary assessment shows her to be alert and oriented with a patent airway and rapid breathing that is adequate. Her pulse rate is 92 and her blood pressure is 116/68 mmHg. When obtaining a history, which of these statements made by the patient should raise your suspicion that the patient may be experiencing a pulmonary embolism?

A glucometer reads 50 mg/dL. The EMT would recognize this reading as:

An elderly patient with diabetes who experiences a silent MI will most likely:

A patient with diabetes is exhibiting rapid and deep respirations. As a knowledgeable EMT, you would expect this patient to have:

You are transporting a patient with diabetes who has low blood sugar. En route, you receive orders to administer oral glucose. Which piece of emergency equipment is most important to have readily available during this procedure?

A 48-year-old male patient is short of breath and confused. His airway is open, and his breathing is fast. A radial pulse is easily palpated. His skin is warm to cool and dry. Your partner reports the following vital signs: pulse, 124; respirations, 24 breaths/min; blood pressure, 158/86 mmHg; and SpO2, 89% on room air. The patient’s lung sounds indicate slight wheezing. Based on this information, which of these conditions poses the most immediate threat to this patient’s well-being?

An elderly patient has an altered mental status. On scene, the patient’s son informs you that his father has type 1 diabetes. Based on this information, you would understand that the patient:

With normal metabolism, what happens after a healthy patient ingests food?