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Table of Contents
- Circulatory System Anatomy and Physiology
- Cardiac Compromise
- General Care for Cardiac Compromise
- Myocardial Infarction
- Pharmacological Care
- Antidysrhythmics
- Sympathomimetics
- Drugs for Myocardial Ischemia
- Myocardial Infarction
- Heart Failure
- Cardiac Tamponade
- Hypertensive Emergencies
- Cardiogenic Shock
- Cardiac Arrest
- Summary
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Course Details
- Description:
- More than 600,000 patients die each year from cardiovascular diseases. Half of these deaths occur before the patient reaches the hospital. Many times, collapse and sudden death is the first sign of cardiac disease. Research has shown that rapid defibrillation is the major determinant of survival in cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation. Not all chest pain, however, will result in cardiac arrest. This course highlights the signs and symptoms and the emergency medical care of patients experiencing chest pain related to conditions such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiac tamponade, hypertensive emergency, and cardiogenic shock.
- Course Duration:
- 1 hour(s)
- Audience:
- EMS personnel
- Prerequisites:
- No prior knowledge is required.
- Regulatory Reference:
- None
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Course Instructions
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EMS Cardiac Emergencies Advanced
Circulatory System Anatomy and Physiology
The heart is a muscle that pumps blood through the body. The normal heart has four chambers with valves to prevent the back flow of blood:
- The right atrium receives blood from the veins of the body and the heart and pumps oxygen-poor blood to the right ventricle.
- The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs.
- The left atrium receives blood from the pulmonary veins (lungs) and pumps oxygen-rich blood to left ventricle.
- The left ventricle pumps blood to the body.
The heart, however, is more than a muscle. It uses an electrical system made of specialized contractile and conductive tissues that conduct electrical impulses to stimulate the cells in the heart to contract. These electrical impulses ensure the heart continues to beat and pump blood through the body. When there is a malfunction with this electrical system, the heart may beat too fast or too slow or in an irregular way that results in cardiac arrest.