Your Patient Is a 73-Year-Old Man Who Is Sitting in a Recliner

question 46

Multiple Choice

Your patient is a 73-year-old man who is sitting in a recliner, cyanotic, pulseless, and apneic. The patient's skin is cool and dry. The patient's wife last saw him an hour and a half ago. Which of the following should you do first?

• A) Check for rigor mortis.
• B) Start CPR.
• C) Attach the monitor/defibrillator.
• D) Inform the patient's wife that he is dead and nothing can be done for him.

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Definitions:

Anterior-Posterior Axis

A directional axis in biology, referring to the front (anterior) and back (posterior) orientation of an organism or its parts.

Ray-Finned Fishes

A class (Actinopterygii) of modern bony fishes; contains about 95% of living fish species.

Tetrapods

A vertebrate group that includes all species with four limbs, such as amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, including those that have lost limbs through evolution.

Eutherian Mammal

A type of mammal characterized by complex placental development, giving birth to live young at a relatively developed stage.