Threatened or actual physical harm. If an ETT attempts to move a patient or to provide treatment against the patient’s wishes, the ETT may be guilty of assault.

This is the term used for listening (usually with a stethoscope). It is commonly used when listening to obtain a blood pressure or to a patient’s lung sounds.

This is used to describe a patient’s level of consciousness. The letters stand for:

A-Alert OR Awake (these words do not mean the same thing, be sure you understand which one is meant when you hear that AVPU = A)

V- Responds to verbal stimuli

P- Responds to pressure on the space between thumb and first finger

U- Unresponsive to any stimuli.

You may see P as painful stimulus in the text; EMS is transitioning away from pain to pressure.

A tearing away of soft tissue. May be minor like a torn-off nail or severe like a torn-off ear or partial amputation.

A device that allows the rescuer to breathe for the patient by squeezing a self-refilling bag. It can be attached to an oxygen source and provide nearly 100% oxygen to the patient.

Relates to the treatment of obesity.

Accepted medical standards of care. This may be based on evidence (evidence-based practice), but when there is no hard data to guide care, best practices are the combined expert guidance and direction from leading agencies in healthcare on a specific aspect of care.

Both right and left sides. If a patient has bilateral wrist injuries, both wrists are injured.

The smallest of the blood vessels. Oxygen and nutrients are transferred to body cells from capillaries, while wastes are removed from cells to capillaries.

A complete stoppage of the heart’s pumping of blood, resulting in death if not treated immediately.