AEMT Airway, Respiration & Ventilation practice questions

Correct answer: B. 10 to 15 liters per minute

A non-rebreather mask is run at 10 to 15 liters per minute and delivers up to about 90 percent. Running a device outside its intended range either wastes oxygen or fails to deliver the concentration you intended.

• A. That flow rate belongs to a venturi mask.
• B. This flow rate delivers up to about 90 percent through a non-rebreather mask.
• C. That flow rate belongs to a bag-valve mask with a reservoir.
• D. That flow rate belongs to a simple face mask.

Correct answer: D. 6 to 10 liters per minute

A simple face mask is run at 6 to 10 liters per minute and delivers roughly 35 to 60 percent. Running a device outside its intended range either wastes oxygen or fails to deliver the concentration you intended.

• A. That flow rate belongs to a bag-valve mask with a reservoir.
• B. That flow rate belongs to a venturi mask.
• C. That flow rate belongs to a nasal cannula.
• D. This flow rate delivers roughly 35 to 60 percent through a simple face mask.

Correct answer: C. Diffuse expiratory wheezing with a prolonged expiratory phase

An acute asthma exacerbation characteristically presents with diffuse expiratory wheezing with a prolonged expiratory phase. No single sign is diagnostic on its own — it is the combination appearing together that makes the pattern recognizable.

• A. That presentation points to left-sided heart failure instead.
• B. That presentation points to hypoglycemia instead.
• C. This combination of findings is characteristic of an acute asthma exacerbation.
• D. That presentation points to a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm instead.

Correct answer: C. Inhalation via a delivery device

Oxygen is administered inhalation via a delivery device. Route determines onset, and choosing the wrong one can render an otherwise correct drug useless.

• A. That is the route used for nitrous oxide rather than for this drug.
• B. That is the route used for epinephrine 1:10,000 rather than for this drug.
• C. Oxygen is given inhalation via a delivery device, which suits its onset and the situation it treats.
• D. That is the route used for an epinephrine auto-injector rather than for this drug.

Correct answer: B. Serves as the primary muscle of ventilation

The diaphragm serves as the primary muscle of ventilation. Anatomy underpins assessment: knowing what sits where is what turns a location of pain into a working hypothesis.

• A. That describes the epiglottis rather than this structure.
• B. This correctly describes the diaphragm.
• C. That describes the kidneys rather than this structure.
• D. That describes the pancreas rather than this structure.

Correct answer: B. swelling under the tongue displaces it backward and closes the airway

Infection in the floor of the mouth pushes the tongue up and back, and it has nowhere else to go. The airway closes a little at a time and gets very hard to secure. Make your airway decision early instead of waiting to see.

• A. Fever is part of the picture, but it isn't what makes this time-critical.
• B. Swelling in the floor of the mouth shoves the tongue backward and closes the airway.
• C. Bloodstream spread is a concern, but it isn't the immediate threat.
• D. Drooling means he can't swallow. It doesn't mean he has aspirated.

Correct answer: A. continuous positive airway pressure to drive fluid out of the alveoli

The alveoli are full of fluid, so more oxygen can't get to the blood. Positive pressure pushes that fluid back into the circulation and cuts the work of breathing at the same time. Nothing you change about the oxygen delivery will do as much.

• A. Positive pressure drives the alveolar fluid back and reduces the work of breathing.
• B. Lying flat sends more venous return to a chest that's already congested.
• C. More fluid makes the congestion worse, and the congestion is the problem.
• D. More oxygen can't cross alveoli filled with fluid.

Correct answer: B. obstructive airflow such as bronchospasm

You expect a flat plateau on a normal capnogram. When expiration is obstructed, different parts of the lung empty at different rates, so the plateau tilts upward. That slope is the shark fin you see with bronchospasm.

• A. A normal waveform has a flat plateau. This one slopes.
• B. That upsloping expiratory phase is uneven emptying from obstructed airways.
• C. Hyperventilation drops the number. It doesn't change the shape.
• D. With an esophageal tube you'd see little or no waveform at all.