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Quiz: What providers should know about caring for VAD patients

Clinicians should be aware of how ventricular-assist devices work and what distress signs to look for in patients

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When providers encounter a patient outfitted with a ventricular-assist device, they should understand and know how to document certain differences when it comes to the patient assessment.

In a recent article, EMS1 columnist Janet Taylor, CFRN, CEN, CCEMT-P, outlines how EMS providers should approach VAD patients, what distress symptoms to look for and how to chart differences in care.

Read Taylor’s article, “Pump up the volume,” to learn more about working with VAD patients and then take the quiz below to test your knowledge.


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Read next:

The arresting LVAD patient: A review of the updated recommendations

An evidence-based, consensus approach to managing unconscious and arresting patients with a mechanical assist device, like LVAD


Rachel Engel is an award-winning journalist and the senior editor of FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com. In addition to her regular editing duties, Engel seeks to tell the heroic, human stories of first responders and the importance of their work. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, and began her career as a freelance writer, focusing on government and military issues. Engel joined Lexipol in 2015 and has since reported on issues related to public safety. Engel lives in Wichita, Kansas. She can be reached via email.

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