Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Intermediate Practice Exam

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How much blood loss can significantly alter vital signs in an 80-kg adult?

  1. 0.5 L

  2. 1 L

  3. 2 L

  4. 1.5 L

The correct answer is: 1 L

In an 80-kg adult, significant alterations in vital signs typically occur with the loss of approximately 1 liter of blood. The average adult has around 5 to 6 liters of blood in their body. When a person loses about 15-20% of their total blood volume, which roughly amounts to 0.75 to 1.5 liters, it can begin to induce noticeable changes in vital signs, such as an increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure. In this case, losing 1 liter of blood would likely push the patient into a state of compensated shock, where the body is attempting to maintain perfusion to vital organs despite the decrease in blood volume. This would manifest with symptoms like tachycardia and potential hypotension, indicating that the body is trying to adapt to the fluid loss. Losing more than 1 liter can result in more severe physiological impacts, leading to decompensated shock, but 1 liter is the threshold where vital signs will begin to show significant alterations.

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