Free Practice Quiz Question List

03 Airway Management and Respiratory Care Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 30 questions to review 03 Airway Management and Respiratory Care, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

30 questions

Choose one

1 point

A responsive adult is coughing forcefully and can speak between coughs after choking on food. What should the EMT do first?

A
Immediately perform five abdominal thrusts
B
Insert an oropharyngeal airway
C
Encourage continued coughing and observe closely
D
Begin ventilations with a bag-valve mask

Choose one

1 point

A patient involved in a motor-vehicle collision has noisy breathing and possible cervical-spine injury. Which manual airway maneuver is most appropriate initially?

A
Head-tilt–chin-lift with the neck extended
B
Jaw-thrust maneuver without neck extension
C
Placement of a nasal cannula
D
Turning the patient prone

Choose one

1 point

An unresponsive trauma patient has gurgling respirations and blood pooling in the mouth. Which intervention should the EMT perform first?

A
Apply a nonrebreather mask at once
B
Insert an OPA before clearing the mouth
C
Obtain a complete history before intervening
D
Suction the airway while maintaining spinal precautions

Choose one

1 point

Which patient is the best candidate for an oropharyngeal airway?

A
An unresponsive patient without a gag reflex
B
A responsive patient with an intact gag reflex
C
A semiconscious patient who is actively vomiting
D
A patient who cannot breathe through either nostril

Choose one

1 point

Which patient is the best candidate for a nasopharyngeal airway, assuming local protocol permits its use?

A
A patient with severe facial trauma and nasal bleeding
B
A patient with suspected basilar skull fracture
C
A partially responsive patient who retains a gag reflex and has no major nasal injury
D
An unresponsive patient with an absent gag reflex who needs a device inserted through the mouth

Choose one

1 point

Which patient is the best match for a nonrebreather mask?

A
An apneic patient with no pulse
B
A spontaneously breathing patient who needs a high concentration of oxygen
C
A patient with inadequate respirations who requires assisted ventilation
D
An unresponsive patient whose airway is filled with vomitus

Choose one

1 point

A patient has a pulse but is apneic. Which intervention is the immediate priority?

A
Apply a nasal cannula and reassess in five minutes
B
Place the patient in a recovery position without ventilating
C
Ask the patient to take slow deep breaths
D
Provide positive-pressure ventilation with a bag-valve mask

Choose one

1 point

During bag-valve-mask ventilation, the patient's chest does not rise. Which action should the EMT take first?

A
Reassess airway position, mask seal, and obstruction
B
Squeeze the bag harder with each breath
C
Increase the ventilation rate substantially
D
Remove the oxygen reservoir from the bag

Choose one

1 point

A patient with severe asthma is exhausted, can speak only one or two words at a time, and has barely audible breath sounds. What do these findings most strongly suggest?

A
Mild respiratory distress with improving airflow
B
A normal response to anxiety without respiratory compromise
C
Respiratory failure or impending respiratory failure
D
An isolated problem with pulse-oximeter accuracy

Choose one

1 point

A patient with suspected COPD has severe dyspnea, accessory-muscle use, altered mental status, and an oxygen saturation of 86%. What is the best general approach?

A
Withhold oxygen because oxygen is harmful in every patient with COPD
B
Administer appropriate oxygen and support ventilation if breathing becomes inadequate
C
Treat only the pulse-oximeter reading and ignore work of breathing
D
Have the patient walk to improve lung expansion

Choose one

1 point

Why should an EMT avoid excessive rate, pressure, or volume when ventilating a patient with a bag-valve mask?

A
It guarantees better oxygen delivery without complications
B
It prevents gastric inflation by keeping pressure high
C
It improves venous return by increasing chest pressure
D
It can reduce venous return and cardiac output while causing gastric inflation

Choose one

1 point

A patient in respiratory distress has a pulse-oximeter reading that conflicts with the patient's appearance and breathing effort. What is the most appropriate response?

A
Continue assessing and treating the patient based on the complete clinical picture
B
Ignore all physical findings whenever a pulse-oximeter value is available
C
Withhold oxygen whenever the reading may be inaccurate
D
Assume the reading proves that ventilation is adequate

Choose one

1 point

Which presentation is most consistent with pulmonary edema?

A
Sudden unilateral absent breath sounds with pleuritic chest pain
B
Wheezing with hives and facial swelling
C
Crackles, orthopnea, severe dyspnea, and pink or frothy sputum
D
Slow shallow breathing after opioid exposure

Choose one

1 point

A patient is unresponsive, has no evidence of trauma, and is not breathing normally. Which manual maneuver should the EMT use initially to open the airway?

A
Jaw-thrust maneuver
B
Head-tilt–chin-lift
C
Blind finger sweep
D
Application of a cervical collar

Choose one

1 point

A responsive adult has a partial foreign-body airway obstruction but is coughing forcefully and effectively. What should the EMT do?

A
Begin abdominal thrusts immediately
B
Perform a blind finger sweep
C
Encourage continued coughing and observe closely
D
Apply a nonrebreather mask

Choose one

1 point

An unresponsive patient has gurgling respirations and visible vomitus in the mouth. Which intervention should the EMT perform first?

A
Suction the airway
B
Apply a nasal cannula
C
Insert an OPA without clearing the mouth
D
Obtain a detailed medical history

Choose one

1 point

Which patient is the most appropriate candidate for a nasopharyngeal airway, assuming local protocol permits its use?

A
A patient with suspected basilar skull fracture
B
A partially responsive patient who retains a gag reflex and has no major nasal or facial contraindication
C
An unresponsive patient with no gag reflex and copious oral vomitus
D
A patient with severe nasal obstruction on both sides

Choose one

1 point

A patient is breathing adequately but remains significantly hypoxemic and needs a high concentration of supplemental oxygen. Which device is generally most appropriate?

A
Nasal cannula
B
Bag-valve mask for an apneic patient
C
Nonrebreather mask
D
Rigid suction catheter

Choose one

1 point

A patient is apneic but has a carotid pulse. Which intervention is most important?

A
Provide positive-pressure ventilation with a BVM
B
Apply a nasal cannula and wait for spontaneous breathing
C
Place the patient in a recovery position without ventilating
D
Obtain a blood pressure before providing respiratory care

Choose one

1 point

When providing BVM ventilations to an adult, which technique best reflects the recommended approach?

A
Deliver the largest breath the bag can provide
B
Squeeze the bag as rapidly as possible
C
Continue ventilating until the abdomen rises
D
Deliver a controlled breath over about one second until visible chest rise occurs

Choose one

1 point

During BVM ventilation, the patient's chest does not rise. What should the EMT do first?

A
Squeeze the bag harder
B
Increase the ventilation rate
C
Reassess airway position, mask seal, and possible obstruction
D
Remove the oxygen reservoir

Choose one

1 point

A patient with severe asthma is exhausted, can speak only one or two words at a time, and has barely audible breath sounds. What does this presentation most strongly suggest?

A
Mild respiratory distress with adequate compensation
B
Respiratory failure or impending respiratory failure
C
Improving bronchospasm
D
Hyperventilation syndrome without respiratory compromise

Choose one

1 point

A patient in respiratory distress has a low pulse-oximeter reading, but the sensor is on a cold, poorly perfused finger. What is the best approach?

A
Interpret the reading together with the patient's clinical condition and reassess
B
Ignore all physical findings and treat only the displayed number
C
Withhold oxygen because every pulse-oximeter reading is unreliable
D
Have the patient walk to test whether the reading improves

Choose one

1 point

A patient has severe dyspnea, crackles, orthopnea, and pink, frothy sputum. Which management approach is most appropriate?

A
Lay the patient flat and delay oxygen until a history is complete
B
Encourage the patient to walk to improve circulation
C
Place the patient prone and withhold positive-pressure support
D
Keep the patient upright when tolerated and provide oxygen or positive-pressure support according to protocol

Choose one

1 point

A responsive adult has an ineffective cough and cannot speak because of severe foreign-body airway obstruction. According to the material, what sequence should the EMT use?

A
Five abdominal thrusts followed by five back blows only once
B
Continuous chest compressions while the patient remains responsive
C
Five back blows followed by five abdominal thrusts, repeated as needed
D
Blind finger sweeps followed by rescue breaths

Choose one

1 point

A patient with suspected spinal trauma has noisy respirations. A jaw-thrust maneuver does not open the airway adequately. What is the EMT's next priority?

A
Use the maneuver or intervention that establishes an adequate airway
B
Delay airway care until a cervical collar is applied
C
Apply a nasal cannula and obtain a complete history
D
Wait for advanced care before correcting the obstruction

Choose one

1 point

A patient with suspected cervical-spine injury has noisy respirations. Which manual maneuver should the EMT initially use to open the airway while minimizing neck movement?

A
Head-tilt–chin-lift
B
Jaw-thrust maneuver
C
Recovery position
D
Neck extension with manual pressure

Choose one

1 point

Which patient is the most appropriate candidate for a nonrebreather mask?

A
A spontaneously breathing patient who needs a high concentration of oxygen
B
An apneic patient with no spontaneous respirations
C
A patient whose airway is completely obstructed by vomitus
D
A patient who cannot maintain any mask seal

Choose one

1 point

During BVM ventilation, the patient's chest does not rise. Which action should the EMT take first?

A
Squeeze the bag harder
B
Increase the ventilation rate
C
Reassess airway position, mask seal, and obstruction
D
Remove the oxygen reservoir

Choose one

1 point

An alert patient with severe asthma can speak only one or two words at a time, is exhausted, and has barely audible breath sounds. What does this presentation most strongly suggest?

A
Mild respiratory distress with effective compensation
B
Respiratory failure or impending respiratory failure
C
Improving bronchospasm
D
Hyperventilation syndrome only