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Paramedic Review (kp) > EMT230 Key Terms > Flashcards

EMT230 Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

aberration

A

refers to the abnormal conduction of impulses through cardiac conduction pathways

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2
Q

absolute refractory period

A

the portion of the action potential during which the membrane is insensitive to all stimuli regardless of strength

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3
Q

accelerated junctional rhythm

A

a dysrhythmia that results from increased automaticity of the atrioventricular junction

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4
Q

acute arterial occlusion

A

a sudden blockage of arterial flow, most commonly is caused by trauma, embolus, or thrombosis

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5
Q

acute coronary syndrome (ACS)

A

a spectrum of clinical disease that include AMI and unstable angina

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6
Q

acute deep vein thrombosis

A

occlusion of a vessel by a thrombus in any portion of the deep venous system

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7
Q

acute dissection aortic aneursym

A

separation of the arterial wall of the aorta

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8
Q

acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

A

the sudden interruption of blood supply to the heart, resulting in death of cardiac tissue

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9
Q

afterload

A

the total resistance against which blood must be pumped (aka peripheral vascular resistance)

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10
Q

algorithms

A

lists used to summarize information, such as prehospital and in-hospital management recommendations

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11
Q

amyloidosis

A

a condition that results from deposits of abnormal protein in heart tissue

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12
Q

angioplasty

A

repair of damaged vessels

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13
Q

anterior hemiblock

A

failure in conduction of the cardiac impulse in the anterior division of the left bundle branch

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14
Q

asystole

A

a life-threatening cardiac condition characterized by the absence of electrical and mechanical activity of the heart

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15
Q

atrial fibrillation

A

a dysrhythmia that results from multiple area of reentry within the atria or from an ectopic atrial pacemaker

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16
Q

atrial flutter

A

a dysrhythmia that usually results from rapid atrial reentry of electrical impulses

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17
Q

atrial kick

A

the priming force contributed by atrial contraction immediately before ventricular systole that acts to increase the efficiency of ventricular ejection due to acutely increased preload

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18
Q

atrial tachycardia

A

a rhythm disturbance that arises from an irritable site in the atria, producing tachycardia

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19
Q

atrioventricular dissociation

A

a conduction disturbance in which atrial and ventricular contraction occur rhythmically but are unrelated to each other

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20
Q

augmented limb leads

A

unipolar leads that record the difference in electrical potential in cardiac muscle (e.g. “aVr”, “aVl”, and “aVf”)

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21
Q

automaticity

A

a property of specialized excitable tissue that allows self-activation through spontaneous development of an action potential

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22
Q

axis

A

the imaginary straight line that joins the positive and negative electrodes of each ECG lead

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23
Q

bifascicular block

A

reference to the blockage of two or three pathways (fascicles) for ventricular conduction

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24
Q

bipolar lead

A

a lead composed of two electrodes of opposite polarity

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25
Q

bradycardia

A

HR < (less than) 60 bpm

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26
Q

bruit

A

an abnormal sound or murmur heard while auscultating an artery, organ, or gland

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27
Q

cannon A waves

A

waves of pulse pressure that are visible in the jugular veins of a patient in VT

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28
Q

cardiac ejection fraction (also known as “EF%”)

A

the percentage of ventricular blood volume released during a contraction

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29
Q

cardiomyopathy

A

any disease that effects the myocardium

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30
Q

coarse VF

A

fibrillatory waves that are > (greater than) 3 mm in amplitude

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31
Q

compensatory pause

A

a pause following a premature beat

32
Q

contiguous leads

A

two or more ECG leads that are anatomically close together and that cover the same general area of the heart

33
Q

delta wave

A

a slurring or notching of the onset of the QRS complex that is a diagnostic finding in WPW syndrome

34
Q

diastole

A

relaxation of the atria and ventricles

35
Q

dysrhythmia

A

variation from a normal rhythm

36
Q

ectopic focus

A

an excitable group of cells that causes a premature heart beat outside the normally functioning sinus node

37
Q

end-diastolic volume

A

the volume of blood returning to each ventricle

38
Q

endocarditis

A

an infection of the endocardium

39
Q

fine VF

A

fibrillatory waves that are < (less than) 3 mm in amplitude

40
Q

first-degree AV block

A

prolonged PRI

41
Q

joule

A

a measurement of electrical energy; one joule is the product of 1 V (potential) multiplied by 1 A (current) multiplied by 1 second

42
Q

left ventricular assist device (LVAD)

A

a battery operated device that assumes the pumping action of the left ventricle

43
Q

mechanical capture

A

occurs when an associated pulse is generated with the electrical capture of an artificial pacemaker

44
Q

modified chest leads

A

placement of the standard limb leads of an ECG that are altered to mimic precordial leads (e.g. “V4R”, “V8”, “V9”)

45
Q

myocarditis

A

inflammation of the heart muscle

46
Q

non-STEMI (aka NSTEMI)

A

a MI in which there is no ST-segment elevation

47
Q

P wave

A

the first complex of the ECG, representing depolarization of the atria

48
Q

paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea

A

an abnormal condition of the respiratory system characterized by sudden attacks of SOB, diaphoresis, tachycardia, and wheezing that awaken a person from sleep; it often is associated with left ventricular failure and pulmonary edema

49
Q

point of maximum impulse

A

the location or area where the apical pulse is palpated the strongest, often in the fifth intercostal space of the thorax jut medical to the left midclavicular line

50
Q

precordial leads

A

unipolar chest leads used in a 12-lead ECG monitoring that record the activity of the heart in the horizontal plane (e.g. “V1”, “V2”, “V3”, etc.)

51
Q

preload

A

the volume of blood returning to the heart

52
Q

proarrhythmia

A

a new or worsened rhythm disturbance seemingly generated by antidysrhythmic therapy

53
Q

pulse deficit

A

a condition that exists when the radial pulse is less than the ventricular rate; it indicates a lack of peripheral perfusion

54
Q

pulseless electrical activity (PEA)

A

the absence of a detectable pulse and the presence of some type of electrical activity other than VT or VF (aka electromechanical dissociation)

55
Q

reentry

A

the reactivation of tissue by a returning impulse

56
Q

refractory period

A

the period after effective stimulation during which excitable tissue fails to respond to a stimulus of threshold intensity

57
Q

relative refractory period

A

the portion of the action potential after the absolute refractory period during which another action potential can be produced with a greater than threshold stimulus strength

58
Q

return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)

A

restoration of spontaneous circulation that provides evidence of more than an occasional gasp, occasional fleeting palpable pulse, or arterial waveform; the patient may or may not survive

59
Q

sinus arrest

A

the failure of the sinus node causes short periods of cardiac standstill

60
Q

standard limb leads

A

bipolar ECG leads that record the difference in electrical potential between the left arm (+), the right arm (-), and the left leg (-) electrodes

61
Q

Starling’s law of the heart

A

a rule that the force of the heartbeat is determined by the length of the fibers making up the myocardial walls

62
Q

STEMI

A

a MI in which there is ST-segment elevation

63
Q

stroke volume

A

the volume of blood ejected from one ventricle in a single heartbeat

64
Q

sudden death

A

a death that occurs within the first 2 hours after the onset of illness or injury

65
Q

syncope

A

a brief lapse in consciousness caused by transient cerebral hypoxia

66
Q

synchronized cardioversion

A

an electrical countershock used to terminate certain dysrhythmias, given after the peak of the R wave of the cardiac cycle

67
Q

systole

A

contraction of the atria and ventricles

68
Q

T wave

A

a deflection in the ECG after the QRS complex, representing ventricular repolarization

69
Q

torsades de pointes

A

an unusual bidirectional VT

70
Q

transcutaneous cardiac pacing (TCP)

A

the delivery of repetitive electrical currents to the heart through an external artificial pacemaker

71
Q

unipolar leads

A

augmented limb leads that record the difference in electrical potential, using one electrode for a positive pole, but having no distinct negative pole (right leg)

72
Q

unsynchronized cardioversion

A

an electrical countershock used to terminate VF and pulseless VT, given without regard to where the shock occurs in the cardiac cycle

73
Q

Valsalva maneuver

A

a vagal maneuver used to slow the heart and decrease the force of atrial contraction by stimulating postganglionic parasympathetic nerve fibers in the wall of the atria and specialized tissues of the SA and AV nodes via the vagus nerve

74
Q

valvular heart disease

A

any disease process that affects one or more valves of the heart

75
Q

vasovagal syncope

A

a brief loss of consciousness that results from stimulation of the vagus nerve

Paramedic Review (kp) (9 decks)

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