EMT NOTES
Anatomy/Physiology and Medical Terminology (Chapter 5)
- Levels of training in EMS:
- EMR<EMT<AEMT<Paramedic
- Staff of Asclepius (seend on EMT logo):
- Asclepius was an ancient Greek physician
- god of medicine
- staff represents medicine and healing
- skin shedding serpent represents renewal
- Body Planes
- Adduction-toward midline
- Abduction-away from midline
- Remember: Adduction is bringing your arm closer to your body, as if you are “adding” it to your body.
- Adduction=adding (arm to body)
- Abdomen Quadrants
- RUQ, LUQ, RLQ, LLQ
- check quadrant of complaint last
- the further away from the bellybutton that the pain is, the more likely it is to be an injury to an accessory organ rather than the intestines.
- Patient Positions
- Fowler’s
- sitting up against wall or object
- Recovery
- “left lateral recumbent”
- laying on left side (to avoid constricting vena cava)
Skeletal System
- Radius is lateral
- Ulna is medial
- How to remember:
“Ulna is on the inside”
(when viewed in anatomical position)
- “Tib and Fib” make up the lower leg
- tibia=shin
- femur is longest and strongest bone in body
- Cervical (7)
- Thoracic (12)
- Lumbar (5)
- Sacrum (5)
- Coccyx (4)
- To remember, say (out loud or to self) “C, T, L, S, C,” and “7, 12, 5, 5, 4.” Repeat these over and over in your head like a jingle or create a mnemonic to help you out.
| C | 7 |
| T | 12 |
| L | 5 |
| S | 5 |
| C | 4 |
Pulmonary/Breathing Physiology
- Ventilation-movement of air
- Respiration-exchange of O2 and CO2 at cellular level
- Body’s primary reason to breathe is to lower CO2 rather than increase O2
- CO2 receptors in arteries send signals to brain, which then controls breathing (Your body is doing this as you read this…cool, right?)
- hypoxic drive-“backup system”
- Body uses O2 receptors instead of CO2 receptors
- May be used in cases with chronically high CO2 levels
- Breaths Per Minute
- 12-20 is “normal”
- “Brain stem controls Breathing”
- Residual volume
- amount of air that is always left in lungs to keep them from collapsing
- getting the “wind knocked out of you” is what you feel when you lose some of your residual volume
- Larynx separates upper and lower airways
- thyroid cartilage is above (superior to) cricoid cartilage
- Trachea divides at carina
- Right lung has 3 lobes
- Left lung has 2 lobes
- How to remember:
- “Right has thRee”
- Remember that both the word “right” (from right lobe) and the word “three” both have a letter “R” in them.
- Right lung has 3 lobes
- Left lung has 2 lobes
- How to remember:
- “Right has thRee”
- both the word “right” (from right lobe) and the word “three” both have a letter “R” in them.
- pulmonary embolism-clog in pulmonary artery (artery that goes to lungs)
- V/Q Ratio– ventilation/perfusion ratio
Cardiovascular System
- left ventricle is strongest
- responsible for pumping blood throughout the whole body
- chorinae tendinae
- prevent inverting of valves
- 5-6 Liters of blood in body!
- entire blood volume circulated throughout body in about one minute!
- BPM (Beats Per Min)
- normal adult: 60-100
- athlete: 50-60
- Stroke Volume (SV)– blood moved in one beat
- Cardiac Output (CO) -blood moved in 1 min.
- SV X BPM = CO
- Tachycardia-fast resting pulse rate (>100 in adults)
- Bradycardia-slow resting pulse rate (<60 in adults)
- Diaphoretic-sweaty and cool skin