Question

As the lead EMT on a call for a dyspneic​ patient, you are reviewing the medications the patient takes. If the clinical criteria are met for assisting the patient with use of a​ bronchodilator, which of the following would the EMT be MOST likely to​ use?

A. Claritin
B. Albuterol
C. Bronkosol
D. Advair

Answer 1

Albuterol is the most likely bronchodilator an EMT would use to assist a dyspneic patient, providing immediate relief during an asthma attack by opening up the airways.

Step-by-step explanation:

As the lead EMT on a call for a dyspneic patient, the EMT would be most likely to use Albuterol when the clinical criteria are met for assisting the patient with the use of a bronchodilator. Albuterol is a short-acting bronchodilator that quickly soothes constricted air passages and helps to re-expand them, making breathing easier, thus providing immediate relief during an asthma attack. The use of albuterol usually starts to take effect almost immediately after administration, which is why it is commonly found in rescue inhalers and is used during acute episodes of airway constriction.

Medications like Claritin are antihistamines used for allergies, and Advair is a long-term controller medication containing a combination of a corticosteroid and long-acting bronchodilator. Bronkosol (Isoetharine) has been discontinued in the U.S. Therefore, for an acute asthma attack or similar dyspneic condition, Albuterol is the appropriate choice to decrease the work of breathing and increase lung volume by opening up the airways.