Cardiac Conditions
What medication is given for a heart attack and why?
Aspirin, it is a blood thinner!
What is the acronym that can be used to remember stoke symptoms and what does it stand for?
F - Facial Droop
A - Arm Weakness
S - Speech Difficultly
T - Time to Call 911
Can first aider's directly administer prescribed medications (e.g. inhaler, epipen)?
No! It is illegal.
What is the difference between hyper- and hypo-glycemia ?
Hyperglycemia - high blood sugar
Hypoglycemia - low blood sugar
What is an AED and what is it used for?
Automated external defibrillator - delivers an electrical shock to the heart to reset the abnormal electrical activity present in cardiac arrest!
What are 2 potential causes for seizures?
Epilepsy, high fever
How is the treatment procedure different with a full airway obstruction compared to a partial obstruction?
Full airway obstruction - Heimlich
Partial airway obstruction - Encourage patient to cough
Why is it important to keep a patient with a suspected spinal injury immoblie?
Prevent injury to the spinal cord which could cause life-long health consequences, such as paralysis
What is the differences between cardiac arrest and heart attack
Cardiac arrest is an electrical disturbance causing an arrhythmia and loss of heart activity
Heart attack is a mechanical blockage preventing circulation
Ischemic - Caused by a blockage
Hemorrhagic - Caused by bleeding in the brain
What is the difference between the blue and orange inhalers?
Blue - Salbutamol: medication used in acute asthma attacks to relax airway
Orange - Steroid: medication used regularly to progressively decrease airway inflammation
What medication is given during an opioid overdose and why?
Naloxone - acts on the same receptors in the nervous system as opioids do and will temporarily reverse the opioid overdose
Why is mouth-to-mouth no longer recommended when doing CPR?
-Less effective
-More complicated
-Unsafe
What are 3 things we can do to protect someone having a seizure?
Recovery position, clear the environment, put something soft under their head
Why is it important to wait the full five minutes between the administration of 2 doses of epinephrine?
Epinephrine speeds up the heart and can put the patient in cardiac arrest if too much is given too quickly.
Why should we never put water onto a third degree burn?
Burn is past the point of no return, patient may be in shock (cool water will further drop body temperature)
How is the procedure for CPR adjusted when done on a child? On an infant?
On a child - two-handed, 50% strength OR one-handed, full strength
On an infant - 2 fingers or 2 thumbs used only
Shpoud Aspirin be given for a stroke? Why or why not?
No. Aspirin is a blood thinner and could worsen the patient's condition, especially if they are having a hemorrhagic stroke.
What are some good practices to make administration of inhalers more effective?
Shake the inhaler and deliver 2 test sprays, hold the inhaler a few finger-widths away from the face, have patient hold breath after administration.
What is the mechanism of carbon monoxide (CO) in the body/blood?
Binds to hemoglobin found on red blood cells with a much greater affinity than oxygen, leading to hypoxia (lack of oxygen)