A 36 year old woman is 10 weeks pregnant. She has been vomiting for the past week and has been unable to get out of bed since yesterday. Vital signs are BP 92/40, P 130, R 18. What should you do?

Get ready for the Paramedic Readiness Exam 5. Study with multiple-choice questions, detailed explanations, and effective strategies. Enhance your exam preparedness today!

The key issue here is maternal hypovolemia from prolonged vomiting in early pregnancy. The hypotension and tachycardia indicate volume depletion that needs immediate correction to prevent shock and organ compromise. The best first action is to restore circulating volume with isotonic intravenous fluids and to reduce ongoing losses with an antiemetic. This combination addresses both the dehydration and the cause of ongoing vomiting, stabilizing the mother for further evaluation.

Ultrasound and fetal heartbeat checks are important but come after stabilization in a patient who is hypotensive. Analgesics don’t treat the fluid loss or low blood pressure, and positioning the patient in Trendelenburg isn’t appropriate in pregnancy and won’t correct the underlying hypovolemia.