TL;DR
Environmental Emergencies: Conditions from exposure: hypothermia, heat stroke, drowning, altitude illness, bites/stings.
Environmental Emergencies
Definition
Conditions from exposure: hypothermia, heat stroke, drowning, altitude illness, bites/stings.
Exam Focus Areas
On the Nremt Emt, Nremt Paramedic exam(s), questions about environmental emergencies typically test:
- Recognition of signs and symptoms requiring immediate intervention
- Appropriate transport decisions and hospital notification criteria
- Assessment findings that differentiate between similar presentations
- Correct medication selection, dosing, and route of administration
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting environmental emergencies in the field:
- Waveform capnograph: If measures end-tidal co2 continuously with waveform display fails, verify connections, check battery, try alternate equipment. Available sizes: Mainstream (inline), Sidestream (sampling)
- BVM: If bag-valve-mask for manual ventilation fails, verify connections, check battery, try alternate equipment. Available sizes: Adult (1500mL), Pediatric (500mL), Infant (250mL)
- King airway: If supraglottic blind-insertion airway device fails, verify connections, check battery, try alternate equipment. Available sizes: Size 3 (4-5 ft), Size 4 (5-6 ft), Size 5 (over 6 ft)
Professional Standards
Professional standards for environmental emergencies are established by the relevant certification body and regulatory agencies. Certified professionals must demonstrate competency through examination and maintain credentials through continuing education. Scope of practice is defined by state law and facility policy. Never perform tasks outside your authorized scope.
Assessment Techniques
Assessment techniques for environmental emergencies:
- Cincinnati Stroke Scale
- Components: Facial droop, Arm drift, Speech abnormality. Scoring: Any 1 positive = 72% probability of stroke
- Trauma Score
- Components: GCS, Systolic BP, Respiratory rate. Scoring: Revised Trauma Score: coded values 0-4, sum correlates with survival probability
Patient Communication
Communication about environmental emergencies in the prehospital setting includes: explaining procedures to the patient in simple terms, obtaining informed consent when possible (implied consent for unresponsive patients), providing a calm and reassuring presence, and delivering a structured handoff report (SBAR: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) to the receiving facility.
Why It Matters
Differentiating heat exhaustion from heat stroke (altered mental status, hot skin) is critical.
Related Terms
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