A 32-year-old female is six months’ pregnant and has come to the dental office because she has had some pain in the maxillary right central. While waiting for the dentist to come into the operatory, she complains of feeling hot and a little dizzy. A few minutes later she loses consciousness. The auxiliary assumes the patient is suffering from syncope. She places the patient in the supine position, administers oxygen, and passes an ammonia capsule underneath the patient’s nose.Questions1. What should the auxiliary have done when the patient first began to complain of feeling hot and dizzy?2. Why should the patient not have been placed in the supine position?3. What important treatment step did the auxiliary omit?

Case study #2: Chapter 8A 55-year-old female presents in the dental office for a crown preparation with final impressions on tooth number 30. As the auxiliary seats the patient, she asks the patient if there have been any changes in her medical history. The patient states that her physician has given her a bronchodilator. The procedure concludes with no complications and the dentist leaves the treatment room. As the patient is preparing to leave, she begins to cough, and the auxiliary observes that the patient is having difficulty breathing. The auxiliary looks for the patient’s bronchodilator.Questions4. What type of asthma attack is the patient most likely experiencing?5. What should the auxiliary have done prior to the beginning of treatment?6. What other condition could the patient be experiencing?

Case Study #3: Chapter 9A 35-year-old female patient has come to the office to have an amalgam placed in tooth number 20. Once seated in the dental chair, the patient begins to talk rapidly and clutches the arms of the chair. She admits no fear of the dental procedure but appears to be very nervous and then begins to breathe rapidly and complains of tightness in the chest and a feeling of suffocation. She is hyperventilating.Questions7. Describe the management protocol for this patient.8. How could the dental auxiliary prevent this situation from occurring on the patient’s next visit?9. Why should oxygen not be administered in this situation?

A client in her 29th week of gestation reports dizziness and clamminess when assuming a supine position. During the assessment, the nurse observes there is a marked decrease in the client’s blood pressure. Which intervention should the nurse implement to help alleviate this client’s condition

Non-psychogenic factors are the most common causes of syncope in the dental office.Group of answer choicesTrueFalse

The medical assistant should always check patients for dizziness and any signs of distress following medical exams and procedures.ResponsesTrueTrueFalse