UCLA EMT - Cardiology Exam Study Guide
Questions and Answers
List the cardiac rhythms commonly associated with cardiac arrest. Ventricular tachycardia
is rapid heart rhythm usually at a rate of 150 to 200 bpm. It is when the electrical activity starts
in the ventricle instead of the atrium. This means that there isn't adequate time between beats for
the left ventricle to fill with blood. So, the patient's blood pressure may fall and the pulse may be
lost. They may become weak or light-headed, become unresponsive, their chest pains may
worsen or chest pain may develop. Most cases of V-Tach may progress to ventricular fibrillation.
V-Fib is disorganized and ineffective quivering of the ventricles. No blood is pumped through
the body, and the patient usually becomes unconscious within seconds. The only way to change
this dysrhythmia is to defibrillate the heart. Defibrillating the heart means to shock it with a
special electric current in attempt to stop the chaotic contractions of the myocardial cells and
allow them to restart and synchronize again in a normal rhythmic beat. Chances of survival
diminish approximately 10% every minute of CPR without defibrillation. Asystole and pulseless
electrical activity (PEA) are both also cardiac arrest rhythms.
Describe the blood flow through the heart, including the chambers, pulmonary circulation, and
valves. First, the deoxygenated blood enters the heart through the superior and inferior
vena cava. The deoxygenated blood then fills up in the right atrium. The tricuspid valve opens
allowing the blood to fill up the right ventricle. When the right ventricle contracts, the pulmonary
valve opens and the deoxygenated blood travels through the pulmonary artery and goes to the
lungs. In the lungs, the CO2 in the blood exchanges with the O2 in the alveoli and the blood
Questions and Answers
List the cardiac rhythms commonly associated with cardiac arrest. Ventricular tachycardia
is rapid heart rhythm usually at a rate of 150 to 200 bpm. It is when the electrical activity starts
in the ventricle instead of the atrium. This means that there isn't adequate time between beats for
the left ventricle to fill with blood. So, the patient's blood pressure may fall and the pulse may be
lost. They may become weak or light-headed, become unresponsive, their chest pains may
worsen or chest pain may develop. Most cases of V-Tach may progress to ventricular fibrillation.
V-Fib is disorganized and ineffective quivering of the ventricles. No blood is pumped through
the body, and the patient usually becomes unconscious within seconds. The only way to change
this dysrhythmia is to defibrillate the heart. Defibrillating the heart means to shock it with a
special electric current in attempt to stop the chaotic contractions of the myocardial cells and
allow them to restart and synchronize again in a normal rhythmic beat. Chances of survival
diminish approximately 10% every minute of CPR without defibrillation. Asystole and pulseless
electrical activity (PEA) are both also cardiac arrest rhythms.
Describe the blood flow through the heart, including the chambers, pulmonary circulation, and
valves. First, the deoxygenated blood enters the heart through the superior and inferior
vena cava. The deoxygenated blood then fills up in the right atrium. The tricuspid valve opens
allowing the blood to fill up the right ventricle. When the right ventricle contracts, the pulmonary
valve opens and the deoxygenated blood travels through the pulmonary artery and goes to the
lungs. In the lungs, the CO2 in the blood exchanges with the O2 in the alveoli and the blood
