Question

A 911 call was placed for a​ 3-year-old child with difficulty breathing. On​ scene, you note that the child is upright with slight stridor upon inspiration. He is alert and breathing at a rate of 30​ breaths/min. His skin is warm and​ dry, and his radial pulse strong and regular. His breath sounds are clear and equal. His mother states that he was fine all day until 15 minutes​ ago, when he was playing with friends in the playroom and suddenly started having difficulty breathing. As an​ EMT, you should suspect which​ condition?Select one:a. Foreign body airway obstructionb. Epiglottisc. Bronchial asthmad. Croup (laryngotracheobronchitis)

Answer 1

The best answer to the question: As an EMT, you should suspect with condition? would be, A: Foreign body airway obstruction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main indicator that this is the best possible scenario is basically the fact that the onset of the breathing difficulty was in such a short time, and with very little evidence to point to any other possibility, than that the child might have swallowed something and he is experiencing airway obstruction. Aside from the suddenness, there is also the clue of his having been playing with other children in the playground, which leads to think that the child probably placed a foreign object. Also, the stridor is another clue. It is a slight one, and the child is still upright. The slight stridor, and because it takes place only during inspiration, indicates that there is something blocking the upper airways, not the lower airways.