PEARLS Flashcards
high heart rate, low blood pressure
bleed-dehydration
flat jugular veins when supine
bleed-dehydration
hot skin in a shocky pt
septic shock (look for source)
female patients on birth control & or smoking with shortness of breath
pulmonary embolism (PE)
hives, laryngeal edema
allergic or anaphylactic
cool, clammy skin
shock (sympathetic response)
sudden onset after eating of vomiting/diarrhea
allergic or anaphylactic shock
cool, clammy skin above, warm dry skin below, low BP, how HR
neurogenic shock (does not have to be trauma)
getting PT to the hospital isn’t good enough
make sure you are treating it (could be MI, shock)
person on ace inhibitor with laryngeal edema & stridor
allergic response, anaphylactoid reaction (ace inhibitor, ends in -pril)
hives
allergic or anaphylactic shock
if it is wet and sticky and isn’t yours…
don’t touch it
black tarry stools
GI bleed
PT states “I feel like my heart is beating out of my chest”
supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), treated with bear down, adenosine - follow with bolus to condense, electrical shock
crushing sub sternal chest pain
MI
sudden onset shortness of breath
pulmonary embolism (PE)
jugular vein distention (JVD)
ride side failure, PE, tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, COPD
COPD patients are…
hypercarbic
any female of child bearing age with belly pain has…
ectopic pregnancy until proven otherwise
tall skinny males with sudden onset shortness of breath
spontaneous pneumothorax
if PT has Hx of hypertension (HTN)
think MI, stroke, aneurysm
number one cause of PE is left sided failure, number one cause of left sided failure is MI, number one cause of right sided failure is left side failure. number two cause of right side failure is COPD. this means if you hear wet lungs…
ask yourself if the PT is having a MI
belly insults can refer pain to shoulders
ie. ruptured spleen, liver, ectopic pregnancy
never trust a diabetic
just don’t
