Anticoagulants
These medications prevent new clot formation or keep existing clots from getting larger.
What are anticoagulants?
What do fibrinolytics (thrombolytics) do?
Dissolve existing clots.
This class of drugs lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
What are statins?
A STEMI usually results from what event inside a coronary artery?
Plaque rupture followed by thrombus formation
A patient taking aspirin begins wheezing shortly after taking the medication. What condition is this?
Aspirin-induced Asthma (AIA)
This injectable anticoagulant is commonly used for hospitalized patients, arterial lines, ECMO, and DVT prophylaxis
What is Heparin (or Enoxaparin/Lovenox)?
These medications commonly end in this suffix.
What is -teplase?
Name one common statin
Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Rosuvastatin (Crestor), or Simvastatin (Zocor)
What is the preferred repercussion treatment for STEMI when available?
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
An RT notices prolonged bleeding after arterial line removal. Which medication class should be suspected?
Anticoagulants
This vitamin K antagonist require frequent monitoring and has many drug and food interactions.
What is Warfarin (Coumadin)?
Which medication is FDA-approved for both ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction?
What is Alteplase (Activase, tPA)?
What is HMG-CoA reductase?
What is the goal “door-to-ballloon” tine at a PCI-capable hospital?
Within 90 minutes
A patient with atrial fibrillation is prescribed Eliquis. What is the primary purpose?
To prevent thromboembolic stroke
Name two Direct Oral Anticoadulants (DOACs)
Apixaban (Eliquiz), Rivaroxaban (Xarelto), Dabigatran (Pradaxa), or Edoxaban (Savaysa)
What is the most serious complication of fibrinolytic therapy?
Name two important adverse effects of statins
Muscle pain/weakness, rhabdomyolysis, elevated liver enzymes
If PCI cannot be performed in time, what is the goal door-to-needle time for fibrinolytics?
Within 30 minutes
A patient with crushing chest pain is diagnosed with STEMI. Name three medications or therapies that may be included in treatment
PCI
Nitroglycerin
Oxygen
Morphine
Anticoagulant
Fibrinolytic (if PCI unavailable)
Beta-blocker
Name three components of Virchow’s Triad
Stasis, Hypercoagulability, Endothelial injury
Which type of MI should NOT routinely receive fibrinolytics?
What is NSTEMI?
Lowering LDL reduces the risk of these three cardiovascular events
Mocardial infarction, stroke, angina/coronary artery disease progression
Within 6 hours
A patient presents with sudden unilateral weakness and CT confirms an ischemic stroke. Which medication class may restore blood flow if the patient is an appropriate candidate?
Fibrinolytics