Cardiology

Question 1

Your patient is a 52 yr old male c/o dull, achy chest pain. He is alert & oriented but upon assessment, you notice his skin is pale, cool and clammy. What is your next step?

Answer 1

Administer supplemental oxygen

Question 2

Cardiac compromise is:

Answer 2

any type of heart problem

Question 3

An AED is used to treat patients in:

Answer 3

Ventricular fibrillation

Question 4

The normal heart rate for a newborn (0-3 months) is:

Answer 4

140-160 bpm

Question 5

The two-flap valve located on the left side of the heart is called:

Answer 5

Bicuspid valve

Question 6

The cardiovascular system is made up of what three major components

Answer 6

Heart, blood vessels and blood

Question 7

Name the layers of the heart from the outside in.

Answer 7

Epicardium, myocardium, endocardium

Question 8

What complaint is commonly used to describe chest pain resulting from a cardiac event?

Answer 8

A ton of bricks on my chest

Question 9

What artery carries deoxygenated blood and which vein carries oxygenated blood?

Answer 9

Pulmonary

Question 10

What is NOT a blood component, but causes fatty deposits on artery walls?

Answer 10

Plaque

Question 11

You are dispatched to a residence of a 46 yr old female patient complaining of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. She states that the onset occurred shortly after eating some cheesecake. Her only medical history is lactose intolerance. Her blood pressure is 136/88 mm Hg. Her radial pulse is 94 beats per minute and her respiratory rate is 18 breaths per minute. She vomited two times prior to your arrival. From what condition is this patient most likely suffering?

Answer 11

Acute gastroenteritis

Question 12

Your patient is a 32 yr old male who was c/o a severe, crushing feeling in the center of his chest and shortness of breath that began while he was mowing his lawn 45 minutes prior to your arrival. He is now only responding to painful stimuli. Presently, his minute ventilation is still adequate, his pulse ox reads 95% on room air, and you find his skin to be pale, cool, and diaphoretic. What would be your initial action?

Answer 12

Administer 12-15 liters of oxygen via nonrebreather

Question 13

You are called to a nursing home for a patient with swelling to her legs. Upon arrival, you find a 76-year-old patient sitting in a wheelchair. Assessment confirms pitting edema to both lower legs. You are able to palpate a dorsalis pedal pulse bilaterally. Her skin is warm, pink, and dry. Her lungs are clear bilaterally. Which of the condition do you suspect?

Answer 13

CHF

Question 14

You are treating a 49-year-old patient who complains of an intense pain between his shoulder blades radiating to his lower back. Pain began 10 minutes prior to your arrival while he was eating and has been constant. He rates the pain as a 10 out of 10. Pain is described as a sharp, tearing pain. He has no significant past medical history. Blood pressure is 130/76 mm Hg in the right arm and 78/48 mm Hg in the left arm. Radial pulse in his right arm is 98 beats per minute and regular, and respiratory rate is 20 per minute and non-labored. What condition would you most likely suspect?

Answer 14

Aortic dissection

Question 15

The single largest cause of death for Americans is:

Answer 15

Coronary heart disease

Question 16

The normal heart rate for an adult is _____.

Answer 16

60-100

Question 17

The normal heart rate for children ages 3-11 is ________.

Answer 17

75-120

Question 18

The normal heart rate for a neonate (up to 1 month old) is:

Answer 18

100-205

Question 19

The correct flow of blood through the heart and lungs is?

Answer 19

Inferior/superior vena cavae, right atrium, right ventricle, lungs, left atrium, left ventricle, aorta

Question 20

What is the difference between angina pectoris and a myocardial infarction?

Answer 20

Angina pectoris is caused by physical or emotional stress

Angina pectoris is typically caused by physical or emotional stress. Symptoms usually last no more than 10 minutes and are relieved by rest.

Question 21

Your patient is an 80-year old male with shortness of breath. Which of the following could your patient be suffering from?

a) Congestive heart failure
b) A myocardial infarction
c) Cardiac compromise
d) All of the above

Answer 21

All of the above

Geriatric patients do not always present the clear-cut signs and symptoms of cardiac problems. With the limited information given, this patient could be suffering from any of the above cardiac conditions, plus a wide variety of pulmonary illnesses as well.

Question 22

The three-flap valve located on the right side of the heart is the:

Answer 22

Tripcuspid Valve

The three-flap valve is called the tricuspid valve, and it divides the right atrium from the right ventricle.

Question 23

What does the Mitral valve do?

Answer 23

Prevents blood from back-flowing into the left Atrium

The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and ventricle and prevents blood from flowing back into the left atrium.

Question 24

A 45-year-old male patient is experiencing chest discomfort. After placing him in his position of comfort, your next action should be to ___________?

Answer 24

Administer oxygen by nonrebreather mask at 15 liters per minute.

There is no information to indicate that the patient requires ventilatory support. Any patient experiencing chest discomfort should receive the highest possible concentration of oxygen.

Question 25

Your patient is a 62-year-old man with a history of heart disease. He is experiencing chest pain. Your first action should be to ____________?

Answer 25

Place him in a comfortable position and administer high-flow oxygen

Your first action would be to administer oxygen and place the patient in a comfortable position; next, if not contraindicated, you would request permission to administer nitroglycerin. You should first obtain a set of vital signs to ensure he is not in cardiogenic shock. Never put defibrillator pads onto a conscious patient with a pulse; this procedure is contraindicated. AED pads are not serving the same function as the electrodes used by ALS providers to monitor the heart rhythm.

Question 26

Which heart rhythm often converts to ventricular fibrillation?

Answer 26

Ventricular tachycardia

Ventricular tachycardia often converts to ventricular fibrillation, a life-threatening heart rhythm that the AED is designed to correct.

Question 27

Patients commonly describe heart attack pain as which of the following characteristic?

Answer 27

Crushing or squeezing

Myocardial pain is often difficult to determine because it can take on many different characters; however, patients most commonly (over 40% of the time) describe the pain of a myocardial infarction as a crushing, squeezing pressure that radiates outward to the arms and upper back.

Question 28

Which patient is showing signs and symptoms of cardiac compromise?

Answer 28

53-year-old woman: dull chest pain, sudden sweating, difficulty breathing

This woman shows classic signs of cardiac compromise: dull chest pain, sudden onset of sweating, and difficulty breathing.

Question 29

Which chamber of the heart pumps oxygen-rich blood out to the body tissues?

Answer 29

Left ventricle

Oxygen-rich blood reaches the left atrium from the lungs via the pulmonary veins; then, the left ventricle pumps it out to the rest of the body.

Question 30

A 64-year-old female has just collapsed in cardiac arrest. You are alone. After your initial assessment, you should give two ventilations, then ________

Answer 30

Analyze the rhythm, and deliver a shock if indicated.

While there is limited information that people in extended periods of cardiac arrest may benefit from CPR before defibrillation, overwhelming information indicates that defibrillating very early in a “fresh” arrest situation will provide the best opportunity for correcting the most common cause of cardiac arrest—ventricular fibrillation.