AEMT Airway Management and Ventilation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with a nasal fracture and suspected basilar skull fracture needs an airway adjunct. You should:
- Insert an NPA immediately because it is safer than an OPA
- Avoid the nasopharyngeal route and use an OPA or supraglottic device instead (Correct answer)
- Attempt nasotracheal intubation
- Apply only a non-rebreather mask
Correct answer: Avoid the nasopharyngeal route and use an OPA or supraglottic device instead
A basilar skull fracture is a contraindication for nasopharyngeal airways because the device could inadvertently enter the cranial vault.
Question 2: What is the maximum amount of time you should suction an adult's airway in a single pass?
- 5 seconds
- 15 seconds (Correct answer)
- 30 seconds
- 60 seconds
Correct answer: 15 seconds
Suction should not exceed 15 seconds per attempt in adults to minimize hypoxia caused by interrupting ventilation.
Question 3: Sellick's maneuver (cricoid pressure) is applied to:
- Open the airway by lifting the thyroid cartilage
- Compress the cricoid ring posteriorly to occlude the esophagus and reduce aspiration risk (Correct answer)
- Relieve a complete foreign-body airway obstruction
- Improve mask seal during BVM ventilation
Correct answer: Compress the cricoid ring posteriorly to occlude the esophagus and reduce aspiration risk
Cricoid pressure compresses the cricoid cartilage against the esophagus, reducing the risk of regurgitation and aspiration during ventilation.
Question 4: Which of the following is a sign of adequate ventilation in an adult patient receiving BVM ventilations?
- SpO2 of 88% with rising trend
- EtCO2 of 35–45 mmHg (Correct answer)
- Increasing abdominal distension
- Decreasing pulse oximetry readings
Correct answer: EtCO2 of 35–45 mmHg
An end-tidal CO2 of 35–45 mmHg indicates effective alveolar ventilation and proper CO2 clearance.
Question 5: A patient is intubated and has bilateral breath sounds but high resistance when squeezing the BVM. The MOST likely cause is:
- Esophageal intubation
- Right mainstem intubation
- Bronchospasm or tension pneumothorax (Correct answer)
- The tube is too short
Correct answer: Bronchospasm or tension pneumothorax
High ventilation resistance with bilateral breath sounds suggests bronchospasm, severe asthma, or a tension pneumothorax compressing the airways.
Question 6: The nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) is preferred over the OPA in a patient who:
- Is completely unresponsive with no gag reflex
- Is semi-conscious and has an intact gag reflex (Correct answer)
- Has bleeding from the nares
- Requires ventilation via BVM
Correct answer: Is semi-conscious and has an intact gag reflex
The NPA is tolerated by semi-conscious patients with an intact gag reflex because it passes through the nasal passage rather than triggering the gag reflex.
AEMT Airway Management and Ventilation 2
A patient with a nasal fracture and suspected basilar skull fracture needs an airway adjunct.
You should: