Certification Review

Abstract

1.At 20,000 to 30,000 feet, you would expect oxygen saturation to be what percentage without supplemental oxygen? A.90%–98%B.80%–89%C.70%–79%D.60%–69%Answer: D. Oxygen saturation will be between 60% and 70% at this altitude, which is where the critical stage of hypoxia occurs.Clark DY, Stocking J, Johnson J, editors. Flight and Ground Transport Nursing Core Curriculum. 2nd ed. Denver: Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association; 2006:24.2.You are transporting a patient by fixed wing. The plane is at 25,000 feet when decompression occurs. What is your time of useful consciousness (TUC)? A.1–2 minutesB.3–5 minutesC.5–10 minutesD.15–30 minutesAnswer: B. At 25,000 feet, TUC is 3–5 minutes. At 22,000 feet, you have 5–10 minutes. At 30,000 feet, TUC is 1–2 minutes, and under 20,000 feet TUC is 30 minutes or more. Rapid decompression can reduce TUC by 50%.Clark DY, Stocking J, Johnson J, editors. Flight and Ground Transport Nursing Core Curriculum. 2nd ed. Denver: Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association; 2006:32.3.You are transporting a patient who is on a 40% face mask. You pick the patient up at 2,500 feet (693 mmHg), and you will be transporting at a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet (429 mmHg) by helicopter. What concentration of O2 will be needed during transport by air to maintain the same oxygen saturation during flight? A.75%B.65%C.50%D.30%Answer: B. Sixty-five percent oxygen will be needed during transport to maintain the same saturation that the patient has at the beginning of the transport on a 40% mask.FIO2 = .40BP1 = 693BP2 = 429(.4)×(693)(429)Clark DY, Stocking J, Johnson J, editors. Flight and Ground Transport Nursing Core Curriculum. 2nd ed. Denver: Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association; 2006:25.4.The transport team knows that a human heartbeat is 10 decibels and a jet engine at full power is how many decibels? A.200B.170C.130D.115Answer: B. At full power, a jet engine is 170 decibels. It is never permissible to be exposed to greater than 115 decibels without hearing protection.Clark DY, Stocking J, Johnson J, editors. Flight and Ground Transport Nursing Core Curriculum. 2nd ed. Denver: Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association; 2006:39.5.Decompression sickness is an example of which of the following gas laws? A.Henry's lawB.Boyle's lawC.Dalton's lawD.Graham's lawAnswer: A. Henry's law is physiologically significant for decompression sickness. As a scuba diver ascends too rapidly from a deep dive, nitrogen bubbles form in the blood.Holleran R, editor. Air and Surface Patient Transport: Principles and Practice. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2010:42, 57.