You suspect that an unresponsive female patient may be diabetic. To help confirm this suspicion, where would you send your partner to look for vials of insulin?

You are reviewing prehospital care reports and notice that a patient with low blood sugar and no contraindications to oral glucose did not receive the medication. You recognize that this inaction placed the patient at risk for which condition?

An unresponsive patient presents with a blood sugar of 30 mg/dL. What is the major threat to this patient’s well-being?

The primary function of the heart is to:

As you enter the living room of an adult patient who called 911 for shortness of breath, you observe the patient sitting upright in a chair with a panicked look on her face, struggling to breathe, with obvious suprasternal retractions. Her breathing rate appears to be fast and her tidal volume poor. You can hear rhonchi from her lungs without the aid of a stethoscope. Once at her side, your initial care should be to:

You are approached by an EMR who informs you that last week, he was on a call in which a patient with chest pain and a known history of coronary artery disease was not given oxygen by the EMTs. You would reply:

You have been called to a home for an 18-year-old male patient, who informs you that he experienced a sudden onset of shortness of breath and back pain while watching television. He has a history of spontaneous pneumothorax, and the current symptoms he is experiencing are identical to those he felt with a previous pneumothorax. Assessment reveals the patient to be slightly dyspneic with breath sounds clear and intact bilaterally. During transport, what is most critical to continually monitor on this patient?

The EMT is properly using a small-volume nebulizer when she:

A son has called 911 for his father, who is having difficulty breathing. On scene, the 81-year-old patient is lying on a couch in the living room, lethargic, and in obvious respiratory distress. He is confused, but has an open airway. His respirations are 38 breaths/min and shallow, and his skin is extremely diaphoretic with cyanosis in the fingertips. At this time, the EMT should:

A confused, lethargic, and nonverbal 50-year-old female patient has altered mental status. You are told she has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The primary assessment reveals a respiration rate of 6 breaths/min and cool, clammy skin with cyanosis around the lips. What should be your priority management?