Approach to the Poisoned Patient MCQ Quiz | Poisonings & Environmental

Quiz Introduction

Welcome, MBBS students, to this comprehensive multiple-choice quiz on the “Approach to the Poisoned Patient.” This module is crucial for developing the skills needed for the initial assessment, stabilization, and management of toxicological emergencies. This quiz features 25 questions designed to test your understanding of key concepts, including initial resuscitation (ABCs), decontamination procedures, recognition of common toxidromes, appropriate use of laboratory investigations, and the administration of specific antidotes. Sharpen your clinical acumen and prepare for your examinations with these case-oriented questions. After completing the quiz and submitting your answers, you’ll receive your score and can review the correct responses. You also have the option to download all questions with their correct answers in a PDF format for future study. Good luck!

1. In the initial management of a poisoned patient, what is the highest priority according to the ABCDE approach?

2. Gastric lavage is contraindicated in the ingestion of which of the following substances?

3. Activated charcoal is most effective when administered within what time frame following toxin ingestion?

4. A farmworker presents with dermal exposure to an organophosphate pesticide. What is the most appropriate initial decontamination step?

5. The term “toxidrome” refers to:

6. A patient presents with miosis (pinpoint pupils), bradycardia, excessive salivation, and respiratory distress. These findings are most characteristic of which toxidrome?

7. Which set of clinical findings best describes the anticholinergic toxidrome?

8. A patient is brought to the ER with CNS depression, respiratory depression, and miotic pupils. This classic triad is highly suggestive of an overdose with which substance class?

9. A key differentiating feature between sympathomimetic and anticholinergic toxidromes is the presence of:

10. Calculating the anion gap is most useful in a poisoned patient for identifying the presence of:

11. Which of the following substances is often NOT detected on a standard hospital urine toxicology screen?

12. An elevated osmolal gap in a patient with a high anion gap metabolic acidosis is highly suggestive of poisoning with:

13. Which ECG finding is a hallmark of significant tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) toxicity and indicates a high risk for seizures and arrhythmias?

14. A patient has ingested a toxic dose of acetaminophen. What is the specific antidote that should be administered?

15. What is the primary antidote for reversing the respiratory depression caused by an opioid overdose?

16. The use of flumazenil for benzodiazepine overdose is often cautioned against because it can precipitate:

17. In organophosphate poisoning, atropine is used to counteract the muscarinic effects. Which agent is given to reactivate acetylcholinesterase at the nicotinic sites?

18. Fomepizole or ethanol is used as an antidote in ethylene glycol and methanol poisoning to:

19. Which of the following is a primary antidote for cyanide poisoning?

20. Deferoxamine is an iron-chelating agent used to treat iron toxicity. A classic clinical sign that may indicate the presence of the deferoxamine-iron complex in urine is:

21. Urinary alkalinization with intravenous sodium bicarbonate is a key management strategy to enhance the elimination of which of the following toxins?

22. For which of the following toxins is hemodialysis the most effective method of enhanced elimination?

23. Hemodialysis is most effective for removing toxins that have which of the following characteristics?

24. Multiple-dose activated charcoal (MDAC) enhances the elimination of certain drugs, such as theophylline and phenobarbital, by which mechanism?

25. Whole Bowel Irrigation (WBI) with polyethylene glycol is most appropriately indicated for which of the following scenarios?