A patient with an unknown medical problem is responsive to painful stimuli and breathing poorly at a rate of 8 breaths/min. The airway is patent and the skin warm and moist. The patient's radial pulse is strong and irregular. Breath sounds are absent over the bases of the lungs. Vital signs are pulse, 84; blood pressure, 256/120 mmHg; and SpO2, 81%. The best treatment for this patient's breathing difficulty would be:
A) High-concentration oxygen through a nonrebreather mask
B) Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
C) Positive pressure ventilation
D) 2 to 4 liters of oxygen through a nasal cannula
C) Positive pressure ventilation
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While assisting a paramedic with the placement of an endotracheal tube, she asks you to perform Sellick's maneuver. You would:
A) lift the jaw upward with your index finger and thumb. B) press downward on the cricoid cartilage. C) stabilize the neck to prevent side-to-side motion. D) gently move the trachea to the right.
You have been dispatched to a call for a burn patient. Upon arriving, you find a 23-year-old woman who was sunbathing and fell asleep. She is alert and oriented and in moderate pain. She has blisters covering her extremities, abdomen, face, and chest. This patient's burns fall into which one of the following categories?
A) Superficial B) Critical C) Minor D) Moderate