Question

A 28-yr old patient presents supine on the floor, unconscious, unresponsive, and with snoring respirations at a rate of 6 per minute. Bystanders report that the patient is diabetic, taken no medications, and may have ingested heroin half an hour prior to the EMS Provider's arrival. After opening the patient's airway, the EMS provider should _________.

1) Administer naloxone
2) Administer glucose
3) Administer oxygen
4) Administer aspirin

Answer 1

In the case of an unconscious, unresponsive patient with snoring respirations and a history of both diabetes and possible heroin overdose, the correct EMS intervention is to administer naloxone to reverse the potentially life-threatening opioid overdose.

Step-by-step explanation:

After opening the airway of a 28-year-old patient who is unconscious, unresponsive, with snoring respirations, and a history of diabetes and potential heroin overdose, an EMS provider should immediately administer naloxone. Naloxone is an opioid-overdose antidote that reverses the effects of an opioid such as heroin. It rapidly displaces opioids from the opioid receptors in the brain, waking up the patient and ensuring that they can breathe until further emergency medical treatment arrives.

Given the patient's low respiratory rate of 6 per minute and potential opioid overdose, naloxone is the most appropriate immediate intervention. While glucose and oxygen are also important in patient care, the immediate life-threatening condition suggested by the history of potential heroin use points strongly to the need for naloxone administration. Aspirin is not indicated in this scenario as it is typically used for patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome, which does not appear to be the case here.