EMT – Chapter 8 Lifting and Moving Patients

Upon arriving at the scene of a motor vehicle crash, you find a single patient still seated in his car. There are no scene hazards. As you approach the vehicle, you note that the patient is semiconscious and has a large laceration to his forehead. You should:

direct your partner to apply manual in-line support of the patient’s head.

The proper technique for using the power grip is to:

lift with your palms up.

The _________ is both the mechanical weight-bearing base of the spinal column and the fused central posterior section of the pelvic girdle.

sacrum

Which of the following statements regarding the scoop stretcher is NOT correct?

A scoop stretcher will provide adequate immobilization of a patient’s spinal column.

You are attending to a 26-year-old female who is 34 weeks pregnant with her first child. Your patient has been having lower abdominal pains and cramping for the past two hours. In placing your patient on the stretcher and preparing for transport, you should place her:

on her left side.

To avoid injury when pushing a patient or other object, you should:

avoid pushing the patient with your elbows fully extended.

To protect a restrained patient and prevent him from using leverage to break free, the EMT should secure __________.

one arm above the head

The extremity lift would NOT be appropriate to use on a patient:

with a deformed humerus.

An unrestrained patient is sitting in his car after an automobile crash. He is conscious and alert, has no visible trauma, and is complaining of neck and back pain. Before removing him from his car, you should:

apply a cervical collar and immobilize him with a vest-style device.

You are attending to a 22-year-old female patient who has overdosed. The patient is unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom. The most appropriate way to bring the patient downstairs is:

secured to a fracture board with the strongest provider at the head end.

In contrast to typical wheeled ambulance stretchers, features of a bariatric stretcher include:

increased stability from a wider wheelbase.

When carrying a patient up or down stairs, you should avoid:

using a wheeled stretcher whenever possible.

Which is the MOST appropriate method to use when moving a patient from his or her bed to a wheeled stretcher?

Draw sheet method

You are attending to a 34-year-old male patient who requires transport to the hospital for assessment of his chronic back pain. The patient weighs over 750 pounds. Your bariatric stretcher has a wider surface area to allow for:

increased patient comfort and dignity.

You and your partner enter the residence of an elderly couple, both of whom are found unconscious in their bed. There is no evidence of trauma. As you begin your assessment, you and your partner notice the smell of natural gas in the residence. Which of the following should be your MOST appropriate action?

Rapidly remove the patients from their residence using a blanket or clothes drag.

The direct carry is used to transfer a patient:

from a bed to the ambulance stretcher.

In most instances, you should move a patient on a wheeled ambulance stretcher by:

pushing the head of the stretcher while your partner guides the foot.

An EMT may injure his or her back, even if it is straight, if the:

back is bent forward at the hips.

It is essential that you ____________ your equipment to prevent the spread of disease.

decontaminate

An 81-year-old female fell and struck her head. You find the patient lying on her left side. She is conscious and complains of neck and upper back pain. As you are assessing her, you note that she has a severely kyphotic spine. What is the MOST appropriate method of immobilizing this patient?

Leave her on her side and use blanket rolls to immobilize her to the long backboard.

Whenever you grasp a stretcher or backboard, your hands should be at least 10 inches (25 cm) apart.

True

Lifting by extending the properly placed flexed legs is the most powerful way to lift and is called an emergency move.

False

A power grip involves grasping a stretcher or backboard with the hand placed palm down over the handle.

False

Backboards are commonly used for patients who are found lying down.

True

In a ________ carry, one provider must walk backward.

two-person

You are called to a scene where a 40-year-old man was clearing trees in a remote area and was struck by a falling tree. When you arrive, he is conscious but the tree is laying across his lower legs. How should you remove the victim once the tree is removed?

Direct lift

When lifting the patient, it is imperative to use which proper body mechanics?

Hold your back in an upright position.

When lifting a backboard, you should use which of the following?

Diamond carry

The scoop stretcher is also known as what?

Orthopedic stretcher

To avoid the strain of unnecessary lifting and carrying, which of the following should you use when moving a patient from the ground onto a stretcher?

Draw sheet method

You are dispatched to a house where an 80-year-old woman has fallen in an upstairs bathroom and hit her head on the sink. When you arrive she is unconscious. Which is the best equipment to use to move her to the ambulance?

Backboard

When carrying a patient down a flight of stairs on a backboard, which person should be at the head end of the backboard?

Doug, who is 5’8" and a weightlifter

Which of the following is an example of an urgent move?

Rapid extrication technique

You are responding to an accident where a 25-year-old female fell 15 feet while rock climbing. The terrain is steep and there is not much space to work. Which device should you use?

Flexible stretcher

You are transporting a 50-year-old patient who reports respiratory distress but has no other indications of other injury or illness. What is the best position in which to place this patient?

Fowler/semi-Fowler