Heart Stuff

Question 1

treatment for air embolism:

Answer 1

Administer supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula or non-rebreather mask to maintain SPO2 above 94 percent

Question 2

pulmonary embolism (PE) facts:

Answer 2

One of the most notable risk factors is recent surgery

Traumatic injury also predisposes patients to embolisms, with the greatest risk occurring with fracture of the tibia or femur

overall general symptoms:
sob
chest pain
cough
tachycardia
tachypnea
DVT

detailed PE resp symptoms:
can begin with mild dyspnea
increased dead space (VQ mismatch)
hypoxemia
hyperventilation
pulmonary infarction

detailed PE cardiovascular symptoms:
increased RT ventricular afterload
decreased stroke volume and cardiac output
RT ventricular failure
tachycardia
JVD
cardiovascular collapse
chest pain

treatment (including beyond EMT-level here):
Complete a thorough set of vital signs, listen to lungs, and accurately count respirations; nearly all patients present with tachycardia and tachypnea.3 Determine a baseline SpO2 and monitor for change with oxygen administration. Do not be surprised if a patient with a suspected PE does not experience a significant rise in SpO2 with supplemental oxygen. Patients may also experience tachycardia, so establish cardiac monitoring as a part of your assessment and perform a 12-lead ECG—it is not uncommon to identify new-onset atrial fibrillation. the patient might also develop pulmonary edema and present with wheezing or rales at the bases.

Question 3

thrombus vs embolism

Answer 3

A thrombus is a blood clot that forms inside a vessel and remains at its place of origin, while an embolism occurs when a piece of that clot breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream and becomes lodged in another part of the body.

Question 4

thrombosis and DVT and embolism

Answer 4

Thrombosis, the formation of a blood clot, normally occurs to help tamponade hemorrhage following injury.

When the thrombus occurs in a deep vein, it is considered a DVT; it is an occlusive thrombus if it interrupts blood flow.

When a piece breaks loose, an embolism develops.

Question 5

air embo will present with all of the fllowing Except:

dysphasia (incorrect)
pale skin
dizzyness
joint pain

Answer 5

I do not understand this question. after digging into symptoms of air embo online.
the correct answer is pale skin. dumb.

air embo can cause loc, siezures, stroke, abnormal heartbeat, heart attack, pulm embolism
joint/muscle pain
dizzyness
anxiety
blurred vision
sob
chest pain
anxiety
(and no where does it say dysphasia, but one could have a change in mental status so perhaps)