Cardiovascular Emergencies Flashcards
What’s the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?
Sympathetic takes care of fight or flight
Parasympathetic takes care of rest and digestion
What are coronary arteries?
Arteries that supply the heart with blood
What are the four parts of blood?
Red blood cells
White blood cells
Platelets
Plasma
What are the numbers in blood pressure and what do they mean?
Top:
Systolic blood pressure, shows the maximum pressure from left ventricle
Bottom:
Diastolic blood pressure, pressure against the arteries at rest
What is ischemia?
decreased blood flow, main cause of chest pain
What is atherosclerosis?
The buildup of calcium and cholesterol
What is a thromboembolism?
A blood clot floating through the blood vessels
What is acute coronary syndrome?
A variety of conditions that stop or severely reduce blood-flow to the heart
What is angina pectoris? And what is the difference between stable and unstable
A condition where the heart needs more oxygen than it is receiving
Stable
Occurs in response to activity that increases demand on the heart
Unstable
Occurs when there is no outside force causing a need for more oxygen
Name 5 signs and symptoms of AMI
-Weakness, nausea, sweating
-Chest pain, discomfort, or pressure
-Lower jaw, arm, back, abdomen, or neck pain
-Irregular heartbeat and syncope (fainting)
-Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
-Nausea/vomiting
-Pink, frothy sputum
-Sudden death
What is asystole?
Absence of all heart electrical activity
What is cardiogenic shock?
Condition where your heart lacks power to force enough blood through the circulatory system
Whats the systolic pressure that causes a hypertensive emergency?
180 mm Hg
What is aortic aneurysm? And what is the primary cause?
weakness in the wall of the aorta
mostly caused by uncontrolled hypertension
When oxygen saturation is less than 95%, what should you do?
apply oxygen via nasal cannula at 4L/min
If the patient is not breathing, what should you do?
apply 100% oxygen with a bag-mask device
What are the 6 breakdowns of SAMPLE?
Signs
Allergies
Medications
Past history
Last food eaten
Events leading up
What are the 6 breakdowns of OPQRST?
Onset (how it happened)
Provocation (does anything make it better
Quality (description)
Radiation (scale of 1-10)
Time (how long ago did it start)
What should you do for a patient with chest pain or discomfort?
Place and a position of comfort
Give oxygen if needed
Prepare to administer low dose aspirin (162 mg to 324 mg)
What is a coronary artery bypass graft?
Chest or leg blood vessel is sewn from aorta to coronary artery past point of obstruction
What is a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty?
a tiny ballon is inflated inside a narrowed coronary artery
All of the following are common signs and symptoms of cardiac ischemia except?
A- headache
B- chest pressure
C- shortness of breath
D- anxiety or restlessness
A- headache
While palpating the radial pulse of a 56 year old man with chest pain, you note that the pulse rate is 86 beats/min and irregular. This indicates:
A- pain
B- fear
C- anxiety
D- dysrhythmia
D- dysrhythmia
A 56-year-old man has an acute myocardial infarction. Which of the following
blood vessels became blocked and led to his condition?
A- coronary veins
B- coronary arteries
C- Pulmonary veins
D- Pulmonary arteries
B- Coronary arteries
Major controllable risk factors for an AMI include:
A- older age
B- family history
C- cigarette smoking
D- male sex
C- cigarette smoking
A patient with cardiac arrest secondary to ventricular fibrillation has the greatest chance of survival if:
A- CPR is initiated within 10 minutes
B- oxygen and transport are provided
C- defibrillation is provided within 2 minutes
D- paramedics arrive at the scene within 5 minutes
C- defibrillation is provided within 2 minutes
A 59 year old woman presents with chest pressure. She is conscious and alert, but her skin is cool, pale, and clammy. Your first step in providing care should be:
A- apply AED
B- administer oxygen
C- ask her if she takes nitroglycerin
D- take a complete set of vitals
B- administer oxygen
any patient with suspected cardiac issues should be put on oxygen as soon as possible
If a patient with an implanted pace maker is in cardiac arrest, the EMT should:
A- avoid defibrillation with the AED and transport at once
B- not apply the AED until contact with medical control
C- place the AED pads away from the pacemaker
D- apply AED pads over the pace maker
C- apply the AED pads away from the pace maker
The main advantage of the AED is:
A- it provides a quick delivery of shock
B- it is easier than performing CPR
C- there is no need for ALS providers to be on scene
D- all of the above
D- all of the above
After administering a nitroglycerin tablet to a patient, the EMT should:
A- check the expiration date of the nitro
B- reassess the patients blood pressure within 5 minutes
C- instruct the patient to chew the tablet until it is dissolved
D- ensure the nitro is prescribed to the patient
B- reassess the patients blood pressure within 5 minutes
Nitroglycerin is contradicted in patients:
A- with a systolic blood pressure less than 100 mm Hg
B- with chest pain of greater than 30 minutes duration
C- who are currently taking antibiotics for an infection
D- who are younger than 40 and have diabetes
A- with a systolic blood pressure of less than 100 mm Hg
