The Heart
Blood that is ejected from the right ventricle flows into the
Pulmonary arteries
Nitroglycerin relieves cardiac-related chest pain by:
dilating the coronary arteries and improving cardiac blood flow.
A 49-year-old male presents with an acute onset of crushing chest pain and diaphoresis. You should:
assess the adequacy of his respirations.
The head and brain receive their supply of oxygenated blood from the:
carotid arteries
Prior to defibrillating a patient with an AED, it is MOST important that you:
ensure that no one is touching the patient
It receives oxygenated blood from the lungs.
Left atrium
An acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurs when:
myocardial tissue is damaged or dies secondary to an absence of oxygen
A patient with atherosclerotic heart disease experiences chest pain during exertion because:
the coronary artery is narrowed and cannot accommodate increased blood flow.
When treating a patient with chest pain, you should assume that he or she is having an AMI because:
the cause of the pain cannot be diagnosed in the field
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.
The ability of cardiac muscle cells to contract spontaneously without a stimulus from a nerve source is called:
automaticity
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
What is the MOST reliable method of estimating a patient’s cardiac output?
Assess the heart rate and strength of the pulse
Ventricular tachycardia causes hypotension because:
the left ventricle does not adequately fill with blood
After the AED has delivered a shock, the EMT should:
immediately resume CPR
The left ventricle has the thickest walls because it:
pumps blood into the aorta and systemic circulation
Nitroglycerin is contraindicated in patients with BP lower than 100, have taken ED drugs within the last 24 hours and....
allergies or patients who have experienced a head injury.
Ischemic heart disease is defined as:
decreased blood flow to one or more portions of the myocardium
The descending aorta divides into the two iliac arteries at the level of the
umbilicus
In contrast to an automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD), an external defibrillator vest:
delivers high-energy shocks, similar to an AED
The myocardium receives oxygenated blood from the __________, which originate(s) from the __________.
coronary arteries, aorta
Sudden death following AMI is MOST often caused by:
ventricular fibrillation.
An angioplasty restores blood flow to the ischemic myocardium by:
dilating the affected coronary artery with a small inflatable balloon.
A patient with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) tells you that the device’s pump flow is continuous. What should you expect to encounter during your assessment?
Absence of a palpable pulse
What are the 2 shockable rhythms?
Ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and Ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach)