Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Intermediate Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Intermediate Test with focused study methods including flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Practice with hints and detailed explanations to boost your readiness for the exam.

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Following a power line accident, what is the immediate action for an unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless patient?

Apply a cervical collar
Begin CPR and then apply the AED
Administer oxygen via bag-valve mask
Check for a pulse before resuming

The correct answer is: Begin CPR and then apply the AED

In the scenario of an unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless patient following a power line accident, the immediate action of beginning CPR and then applying an AED is crucial. This approach recognizes that the patient is in cardiac arrest, and prompt initiation of CPR is vital to maintaining blood flow to vital organs until advanced care can be provided. CPR helps to manually circulate blood and can significantly increase the chances of survival, especially when commenced early. The use of an AED, once available, is also essential as it can help to restore a normal heart rhythm if the patient's cardiac arrest is due to a shockable rhythm, such as ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. While applying a cervical collar, administering oxygen via bag-valve mask, or checking for a pulse are important steps in the overall assessment and care of a patient with potential spinal injuries or respiratory failure, the immediate priority in cases of cardiac arrest is to begin CPR as quickly as possible to maximize the likelihood of survival. Therefore, initiating CPR and preparing to use an AED is the most appropriate immediate response in this emergency situation.