PA week 5 Cardio - lecture notes

Cardio & Vascular AssessmentQuestions to ask: RISK FACTORS for cardiac conditions (MI)- Do you have high blood pressure?- Any family history of cardiovascular disease ?- Hypertension puts them at a higher risk- Do you live a sedentary lifestyle?- Diet?- High cholesterol?- do you smoke?- have you had a baseline test done?obaseline tests are:1.EKG: 2-3 min into admission. Show you any abnormalities in conduction of the heart. If patient has ST elevation, it would be an early sign of MI.2.Echocardiogram – looks for the anatomy of the heart. Makes sure there’s no clotting issues. 3.Stress test – patient is placed on a treadmill and the heart is monitored in response to the stress test 4.Cardiac catheterization – not only is it used for treatment (to unclog arteries) & it is also used for diagnostic purpose. 5.(OPTIONAL) Blood work – you want to check troponin levels (if it spikes, there is something wrong with the muscles of the heart. You want to do it in intervals of 6 hours.- Patient that is complaining of chest pain, it is very important to see them rightaway and do an EKG on them RIGHT AWAY (national goal is 2-3 minutes within patient arrival). - “time is money” when it comes to the heart. On the EKG in particular what they are looking for when a patient comes into the ER with chest pain is at the ST segment. An ST segment elevation could be an MI. It means that the patient needs to be taken right away to the Cat lab so that artery can be unclogged. - it is very important that the nurse is able to look at the EKG and pick up on the STelevation. - When talking about a cardiac problem add these to the OLD CART questions:oNauseaoVomitingoDiaphoresis odizzinessoUsually, HEA