Chest pain is a frequent patient complaint, but not all chest pain is due to a cardiac emergency. As an EMS provider understanding the anatomy and physiology of the cardiac and respiratory systems, as well as the mechanism of action for treatments, like defibrillation, aspirin, and nitroglycerin, is important for effective patient care.
Take this quiz from Limmer Creative to test your knowledge of cardiac emergencies and when you are done make sure to scroll down for key points about cardiac emergencies and additional training resources.
4 key points about cardiac emergencies
1. Cardiology is a diverse topic
From chest pain to resuscitation, there is a lot to know. It isn’t as easy as learning about chest pain and taking a CPR course. You must know how to resuscitate a patient from start to finish with high performance CPR and an AED.
2. Know your A&P
To really know about cardiology you must know anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology. From blood flow to perfusion to signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease, you’ll do better if you understand how it works—and what happens when it doesn’t work.
3. Our toolbox is getting bigger
Administering or assisting with medications such as nitroglycerin (NTG) and aspirin is part of the EMT’s scope. CPAP and 12-lead acquisition is rapidly advancing into the purview of the EMT.
4. Oxygen may not be helpful
And last but not least we can’t forget about oxygen. Science has changed the way we look at our old friend the “wonder drug.”
Learn more about assessment and treatment of cardiac emergencies
- Can oxygen hurt our patients?
- How to use OPQRST as an effective patient assessment tool
- STEMI: 10 things you need to know to save lives
- Prove it: Transporting patients in cardiac arrest improves outcome
- Why are we giving epinephrine to cardiac arrest patients?
You can also read an analysis of the results of this quiz from the team at Limmer Creative.
