Chapter 15 - Cardiovascular Emergencies

Question 1

What does ALS stand for?

Answer 1

Advanced Life Support - an advanced level of EMS care for which providers are trained and authorized to insert advanced airway devices, initiate IV lines, and give medications.

Question 2

What are the upper chambers of the heart called?

Answer 2

Atria

Question 3

What are the lower chambers of the heart called?

Answer 3

Ventricles

Question 4

Describe the blood flow through the heart.

Answer 4

1. Deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium via the vena cava
2. During contraction of the right atrium blood passes the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle.
3. The right ventricle contracts and blood passes the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery.
4. Blood flows to the lungs and gases are exchanged
5. Blood returns to the left atrium from the lungs through the pulmonary vein
6. The left atrium cantracts and blood passes through the mitral valve into the left ventricle.
7. During contraction of the left ventricle blood is forced through the aortic valve into the aorta and the rest of the body

Question 5

What is the myocardium?

Answer 5

Heart muscle tissue

Question 6

What is the epicardium?

Answer 6

Outter layer of the heart.

Question 7

What are arteries?

Answer 7

Blood vessles that carry blood away from the heart, mostly oxygentated.

Question 8

What are veins?

Answer 8

Vessles that carry boold toward the heart, normally deoxygenated.

Question 9

What does CAD stand for and what is it?

Answer 9

Coronary artery disease - Narrowing of the coronary arteries which supply the heart itself with blood.

Question 10

What is atherosclerosis?

Answer 10

A form of arteriosclerosis in which cholesterol and plaques form within the walls of arteries.

Question 11

What is an infarction?

Answer 11

formation of an area of dead tissue due to inadequate blood flow.

Question 12

What is CHF?

Answer 12

Congestive heart failure - failure of the heart to efficiently pump blood to body tissues.

Question 13

What is hypertension?

Answer 13

Abnormally high blood pressure.

Question 14

What is angina pectoris?

Answer 14

sudden chest pain due to inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart.

Question 15

What is ischemia?

Answer 15

A deficiency in blood supply.

Question 16

What is an AMI?

Answer 16

An acute myocardial infarction is an interruption of blood supply to the heart which results in heart tissue death.

Question 17

What is ventricular fibrillatiion?

Answer 17

chaotic and ineffective contractions of the ventricles.

Question 18

What is ventricular tachycardia?

Answer 18

rapid contraction of the ventricles that can lead to ineffective blood flow.

Question 19

What is SCA?

Answer 19

Sudden cardiac arrest - abrupt cessation of an effective heartbeat.

Question 20

What is asystole?

Answer 20

absence of a heartbeat.

Question 21

What is a thrombus?

Answer 21

a clot in the blood.

Question 22

What is an embolus?

Answer 22

a clot, fat, or other solid material that breaks loose and is carried in the bloodstream, lodging in another site.

Question 23

What is pericarditis?

Answer 23

Inflammation of the pericardium.

Question 24

What is the pericardium?

Answer 24

the sac that surrounds the heart.

Question 25

What is an aneurysm?

Answer 25

A weakend portion of a blood vessel that “balloons” out.

Question 26

What does a distended jugular vein indicate.

Answer 26

Congestive Heart Failure

Question 27

WHat is nitroglycerine used to treat?

Answer 27

angina pectoris