You are by the side of a 77-year-old male patient with a complaint of shortness of breath. Auscultation of his lungs indicates crackles in the bases. In addition, both of his feet are swollen. His SpO2 on room air is 82%. The remainder of his vital signs are pulse, 144; respirations, 26 breaths/min; and blood pressure 168/90, mmHg. The patient reports lower back pain with a history of a “pinched nerve” in that area. He states that he always has this pain. He has difficulty finishing his sentences without gasping for air. What is the most appropriate care for this patient after initiating oxygen?

The AED should never be applied to a patient who is not in cardiac arrest because some patients in:

You are sitting next to a 24-year-old female patient with diabetes who has altered mental status and a blood sugar reading of 31 mg/dL. Family members state that she took her normal amount of insulin this morning and ate her breakfast as usual. Which additional statement would the EMT recognize as contributing to her current condition?

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?

A patient with chest pain and shortness of breath informs you that the last time he had a heart attack, he went into heart failure. When performing your secondary assessment, which sign or symptom is most indicative that the patient is in heart failure again?

A patient exhibits signs and symptoms of diabetes, but he informs you that he has not been diagnosed with the disease. You decide to check his blood sugar. If the patient truly has diabetes, which of these readings would you expect?

A patient informs you that she takes Januvia pills for her diabetes. Which of these statements about this patient and her diabetes is true?

As you enter a room for an unknown medical emergency, you find an unresponsive male with snoring respirations lying supine in bed. Which action should you take immediately?

To which of these patients would the EMT elect to administer oral glucose?

Which link of the American Heart Association’s Chain of Survival must occur first, if a patient is to survive cardiac arrest?