Chpt. 17
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a term used to describe:
a group of symptoms that are caused by myocardial ischemia
A 67-year-old female with severe chest pain becomes unresponsive, pulseless, and apneic during transport. You should:
immediately begin CPR, apply an AED, stop along the side of the road to allow the AED to analyze, and shock as indicated
After the AED has delivered a shock, the EMT should:
immediately resume CPR.
A dissecting aortic aneurysm occurs when:
The inner layers of the aorta become separated.
A 40-year-old man is in cardiac arrest. Your partner is performing CPR. You are attaching the AED when the patient's wife tells you that he has an automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD). The AED advises that a shock is indicated. What should you do?
Deliver the shock followed by immediate resumption of CPR.
A patient with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) tells you that the device's pump flow is continuous. Which of the following should you expect to encounter during your assessment?
absence of palpable pulse
A patient tells you that he has a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Which of the following conditions should you suspect that he has experienced?
acute myocardial infarction
A 66-year-old female with a history of hypertension and diabetes presents with substernal chest pressure of 2 hours' duration. Her blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg, her pulse is 100 beats/min and irregular, her respirations are 22 breaths/min, and her oxygen saturation is 92%. The patient does not have prescribed nitroglycerin, but her husband does. You should:
administer oxygen, give her 324 mg of aspirin, and assess her further.
A 49-year-old male presents with an acute onset of crushing chest pain and diaphoresis. You should:
assess the adequacy of his respirations.
Cardiogenic shock following AMI is caused by:
decreased pumping force of the heart muscle
A percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) restores blood flow to the ischemic myocardium by:
dilating the affected coronary artery with a small inflatable balloon.
A 66-year-old woman presents with a stabbing pain in the middle of her chest that radiates to her back. She tells you that the pain suddenly began about 30 minutes ago and has been severe since the onset. She has a history of hypertension, but admits to being noncompliant with her antihypertensive medications. When you assess her, you find that her blood pressure is significantly higher in her left arm than it is in her right arm. What do these signs and symptoms MOST likely indicate?
dissecting aortic aneurysm
Blood that is ejected from the right ventricle:
flows into the pulmonary arteries.
Angina pectoris occurs when:
myocardial oxygen demand exceeds the supply
An acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurs when:
myocardial tissue dies secondary to an absence of oxygen.
A 67-year-old female presents with difficulty breathing and chest discomfort that awakened her from her sleep. She states that she has congestive heart failure, has had two previous heart attacks, and has been prescribed nitroglycerin. She is conscious and alert with adequate breathing. Her blood pressure is 94/64 mm Hg and her heart rate is 120 beats/min. Treatment for this patient includes:
placing her in an upright position.
After assisting your patient with prescribed nitroglycerin, you should:
reassess his or her blood pressure within 5 minutes to detect hypotension.
A patient in cardiac arrest is wearing an external defibrillator vest, which is interfering with effective chest compressions. The EMT should:
remove the battery from the monitor and then remove the vest.
A patient with atherosclerotic heart disease experiences chest pain during exertion because:
the lumen of the coronary artery is narrowed and cannot accommodate increased blood flow.
Cardiac output may decrease if the heart beats too rapidly because:
there is not enough time in between contractions for the heart to refill completely.