You Have Been Called for an Unresponsive Patient

question 97

Multiple Choice

You have been called for an unresponsive patient. On scene, hysterical family members direct you to an unresponsive 32-year-old woman who is lying on the bedroom floor. Her husband says that she left a note saying that she wanted to kill herself and took an unspecified poison. Assessment reveals a green-colored liquid in her mouth and respirations that are rapid, shallow, and gurgling. Her pulse is weak and her skin is cool and dry with cyanosis to her fingertips. Your immediate action would be to:

• A) start positive pressure ventilation.
• B) extricate and provide care en route to the hospital.
• C) open the airway and suction.
• D) read the note for clues to what she took.

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Definitions:

Phone Tone

The sound generated by a telephone to indicate an incoming call or text message, or the tones used in touch-tone dialing.

Depressed

A state of depression, a period of low spirits; referring to a fracture, usually a fracture of the skull where bone fragments are driven (depressed) inward.

Phone Tone

refers to the vocal characteristics and attitude conveyed through voice during telephone communications.

Angry

A strong feeling of displeasure or hostility, often as a result of something perceived as wrong or threatening.