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Paramedic Review (kp) > EMT230 Key Terms > Flashcards

EMT230 Key Terms Flashcards

(75 cards)

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1
Q

aberration

A

refers to the abnormal conduction of impulses through cardiac conduction pathways

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2
Q

absolute refractory period

A

the portion of the action potential during which the membrane is insensitive to all stimuli regardless of strength

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3
Q

accelerated junctional rhythm

A

a dysrhythmia that results from increased automaticity of the atrioventricular junction

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4
Q

acute arterial occlusion

A

a sudden blockage of arterial flow, most commonly is caused by trauma, embolus, or thrombosis

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5
Q

acute coronary syndrome (ACS)

A

a spectrum of clinical disease that include AMI and unstable angina

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6
Q

acute deep vein thrombosis

A

occlusion of a vessel by a thrombus in any portion of the deep venous system

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7
Q

acute dissection aortic aneursym

A

separation of the arterial wall of the aorta

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8
Q

acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

A

the sudden interruption of blood supply to the heart, resulting in death of cardiac tissue

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9
Q

afterload

A

the total resistance against which blood must be pumped (aka peripheral vascular resistance)

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10
Q

algorithms

A

lists used to summarize information, such as prehospital and in-hospital management recommendations

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11
Q

amyloidosis

A

a condition that results from deposits of abnormal protein in heart tissue

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12
Q

angioplasty

A

repair of damaged vessels

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13
Q

anterior hemiblock

A

failure in conduction of the cardiac impulse in the anterior division of the left bundle branch

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14
Q

asystole

A

a life-threatening cardiac condition characterized by the absence of electrical and mechanical activity of the heart

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15
Q

atrial fibrillation

A

a dysrhythmia that results from multiple area of reentry within the atria or from an ectopic atrial pacemaker

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16
Q

atrial flutter

A

a dysrhythmia that usually results from rapid atrial reentry of electrical impulses

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17
Q

atrial kick

A

the priming force contributed by atrial contraction immediately before ventricular systole that acts to increase the efficiency of ventricular ejection due to acutely increased preload

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18
Q

atrial tachycardia

A

a rhythm disturbance that arises from an irritable site in the atria, producing tachycardia

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19
Q

atrioventricular dissociation

A

a conduction disturbance in which atrial and ventricular contraction occur rhythmically but are unrelated to each other

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20
Q

augmented limb leads

A

unipolar leads that record the difference in electrical potential in cardiac muscle (e.g. “aVr”, “aVl”, and “aVf”)

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21
Q

automaticity

A

a property of specialized excitable tissue that allows self-activation through spontaneous development of an action potential

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22
Q

axis

A

the imaginary straight line that joins the positive and negative electrodes of each ECG lead

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23
Q

bifascicular block

A

reference to the blockage of two or three pathways (fascicles) for ventricular conduction

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24
Q

bipolar lead

A

a lead composed of two electrodes of opposite polarity

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25
bradycardia
HR < (less than) 60 bpm
26
bruit
an abnormal sound or murmur heard while auscultating an artery, organ, or gland
27
cannon A waves
waves of pulse pressure that are visible in the jugular veins of a patient in VT
28
cardiac ejection fraction (also known as "EF%")
the percentage of ventricular blood volume released during a contraction
29
cardiomyopathy
any disease that effects the myocardium
30
coarse VF
fibrillatory waves that are > (greater than) 3 mm in amplitude
31
compensatory pause
a pause following a premature beat
32
contiguous leads
two or more ECG leads that are anatomically close together and that cover the same general area of the heart
33
delta wave
a slurring or notching of the onset of the QRS complex that is a diagnostic finding in WPW syndrome
34
diastole
relaxation of the atria and ventricles
35
dysrhythmia
variation from a normal rhythm
36
ectopic focus
an excitable group of cells that causes a premature heart beat outside the normally functioning sinus node
37
end-diastolic volume
the volume of blood returning to each ventricle
38
endocarditis
an infection of the endocardium
39
fine VF
fibrillatory waves that are < (less than) 3 mm in amplitude
40
first-degree AV block
prolonged PRI
41
joule
a measurement of electrical energy; one joule is the product of 1 V (potential) multiplied by 1 A (current) multiplied by 1 second
42
left ventricular assist device (LVAD)
a battery operated device that assumes the pumping action of the left ventricle
43
mechanical capture
occurs when an associated pulse is generated with the electrical capture of an artificial pacemaker
44
modified chest leads
placement of the standard limb leads of an ECG that are altered to mimic precordial leads (e.g. "V4R", "V8", "V9")
45
myocarditis
inflammation of the heart muscle
46
non-STEMI (aka NSTEMI)
a MI in which there is no ST-segment elevation
47
P wave
the first complex of the ECG, representing depolarization of the atria
48
paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
an abnormal condition of the respiratory system characterized by sudden attacks of SOB, diaphoresis, tachycardia, and wheezing that awaken a person from sleep; it often is associated with left ventricular failure and pulmonary edema
49
point of maximum impulse
the location or area where the apical pulse is palpated the strongest, often in the fifth intercostal space of the thorax jut medical to the left midclavicular line
50
precordial leads
unipolar chest leads used in a 12-lead ECG monitoring that record the activity of the heart in the horizontal plane (e.g. "V1", "V2", "V3", etc.)
51
preload
the volume of blood returning to the heart
52
proarrhythmia
a new or worsened rhythm disturbance seemingly generated by antidysrhythmic therapy
53
pulse deficit
a condition that exists when the radial pulse is less than the ventricular rate; it indicates a lack of peripheral perfusion
54
pulseless electrical activity (PEA)
the absence of a detectable pulse and the presence of some type of electrical activity other than VT or VF (aka electromechanical dissociation)
55
reentry
the reactivation of tissue by a returning impulse
56
refractory period
the period after effective stimulation during which excitable tissue fails to respond to a stimulus of threshold intensity
57
relative refractory period
the portion of the action potential after the absolute refractory period during which another action potential can be produced with a greater than threshold stimulus strength
58
return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)
restoration of spontaneous circulation that provides evidence of more than an occasional gasp, occasional fleeting palpable pulse, or arterial waveform; the patient may or may not survive
59
sinus arrest
the failure of the sinus node causes short periods of cardiac standstill
60
standard limb leads
bipolar ECG leads that record the difference in electrical potential between the left arm (+), the right arm (-), and the left leg (-) electrodes
61
Starling's law of the heart
a rule that the force of the heartbeat is determined by the length of the fibers making up the myocardial walls
62
STEMI
a MI in which there is ST-segment elevation
63
stroke volume
the volume of blood ejected from one ventricle in a single heartbeat
64
sudden death
a death that occurs within the first 2 hours after the onset of illness or injury
65
syncope
a brief lapse in consciousness caused by transient cerebral hypoxia
66
synchronized cardioversion
an electrical countershock used to terminate certain dysrhythmias, given after the peak of the R wave of the cardiac cycle
67
systole
contraction of the atria and ventricles
68
T wave
a deflection in the ECG after the QRS complex, representing ventricular repolarization
69
torsades de pointes
an unusual bidirectional VT
70
transcutaneous cardiac pacing (TCP)
the delivery of repetitive electrical currents to the heart through an external artificial pacemaker
71
unipolar leads
augmented limb leads that record the difference in electrical potential, using one electrode for a positive pole, but having no distinct negative pole (right leg)
72
unsynchronized cardioversion
an electrical countershock used to terminate VF and pulseless VT, given without regard to where the shock occurs in the cardiac cycle
73
Valsalva maneuver
a vagal maneuver used to slow the heart and decrease the force of atrial contraction by stimulating postganglionic parasympathetic nerve fibers in the wall of the atria and specialized tissues of the SA and AV nodes via the vagus nerve
74
valvular heart disease
any disease process that affects one or more valves of the heart
75
vasovagal syncope
a brief loss of consciousness that results from stimulation of the vagus nerve

Paramedic Review (kp) (9 decks)

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