Delivery of an electrical shock to stop the fibrillation of heart muscles and restore a normal heart rhythm.
Defibrillation.
A blanket term used to represent any symptoms related to lack of O2 in the heart muscle. Also called cardiac compromise.
Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).
The pain, pressure, or discomfort associated with cardiac compromise radiates from the chest to where?
Along the arms (the left side in particular), down to the upper abdomen, or up to the jaw.
Shortness of breath; labored or difficulty breathing.
Dyspnea.
Signs and symptoms of ACS include:
Pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest or upper abdomen; difficulty breathing; palpitations; sudden onset of sweating and nausea or vomiting; anxiety; unusual generalized weakness; abnormal pulse; abnormal blood pressure.
Contraindications of nitroglycerin include:
Patient has hypotension, or a systolic blood pressure below 90-100; patient has a head injury; patient in an infant or a child; already taken the maximum prescribed dose; recently taken Viagra, Cialis, Levitra or another drug for erectile dysfunction.
Contraindications of aspirin include:
Patient is unable to swallow without endangering the airway; allergic or sensitive to aspirin; history of asthma; GI ulcer or recent bleeding; known bleeding disorder; already taking medication to prevent clotting; pregnant; recent surgery.
What is the prescribed dosage of aspirin?
2-4 tablets, each tablet is an 81 mg chewable tablet. Thus dosage is 162-324 mg.
Diseases that affect the arteries of the heart.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
A clot formed of blood and plaque attached to the inner wall of an artery or vein.
Thrombus.
Blockage, as of an artery by fatty deposits.
Occlusion.
Blockage of a vessel by clot or foreign material brought to the site by the blood current.
Embolism.
The dilation, or ballooning, of a weakened section of the wall of an artery.
Aneurysm.
The two most common sites of aneurysms that you will encounter in emergency situations are what?
Aorta and the brain.
A disturbance in heart rate and rhythm.
Dysrhythmia.
Pain in the chest, occurring when blood supply to the heart is reduced and a portion of the heart muscle is not receiving enough O2.
Angina pectoris. Sometimes called an angina attack.
The condition in which a portion of the myocardium dies as a result of O2 starvation, often called a heart attack by laypersons.
Acute Myocaridal Infarction (AMI).
The failure of the heart to pump efficiently, leading to excessive blood or fluids in the lungs, the body or both.
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).
Accumulation of fluid in the feet or ankles.
Pedal edema.
The five steps in the chain of survival are what?
1. Immediate recognition and activation, 2. Early CPR, 3. Rapid defibrillation, 4. Effective advanced life support, 5. Integrated post-cardiac arrest care.
Three ways in which CPR can be delivered earlier are what?
Get CPR-trained professionals to the patient faster, train lay people in CPR, train dispatchers to instruct callers in how to perform CPR.
The single most important factor in determining survival from cardiac arrest is what?
Early defibrillation.
If a response time of a defibrillator is longer than ____ minutes, virtually no patients survive cardiac arrest.
Eight.
An intervention that appears to reduce brain damage on post-cardiac arrest patients is what?
Controlled hypothermia. 90-93 degrees F for up to 24 hours.
When using an AED you should transport as soon as one of the following has occured:
You have administered three shocks, received three consecutive NSI messages (separated by two minutes of CPR), the patient regains a pulse.
No breathing.
Apnea.
Can an AED analyze a rhythm accurately in a moving vehicle?
No. You must completely stop the vehicle in order to analyze the rhythm if more shocks are ordered.
On an unconscious patient that has been resuscitated you should check the pulse every ____ seconds to ensure that the patient does not go back into arrest.
30 seconds.
During single rescuer cardiac arrest with an AED in what order do you do compressions and AED shock treatment?
Defibrillate immediately. Once you have delivered a shock or recieved a NSI message from the device, begin chest compressions and then ventilations.
What is the only serious contraindication for using an AED on a patient?
Pads won't fit on the patient and are touching. (hypotheric patients as well)
You should not defibrillate a patient until these conditions are met:
The patient is not wet and is dried off, not touching anything metallic, not wearing a nitroglycerin patch on their chest, and no one is touching the patient.
If you come across a patient who has had a cardiac pacemaker implanted in the chest what alterations do you make in order to defibrillate the patient?
Move the pad down at least several inches away from the clavicle and the pacemaker while still staying in the general area where you want the pad.
Two mechanical CPR compressor devices that assist EMTs with providing high-quality chest compressions are what?
Thumper and Auto-Pulse.