A Aspirin has clearly been shown to reduce mortality and morbitiy associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and should be given as early as possible the dose is 160 to 325 mg. As your partner prepares to administer oxygen, you should:Ī: administer up to 325 mg of aspirin if the patient is not allergic to it.ī: perform a secondary assessment and obtain baseline vital signs.Ĭ: apply the AED and prepare the patient for immediate transport.ĭ: assist the patient with his nitroglycerin with medical control approval. He has a bottle of prescribed nitroglycerin, but states that he has not taken any of his medication. A 65-year-old man has generalized weakness and chest pressure. High-flow oxygen, thermal management, and assessment of oxygen saturation are clearly important however, your primary focus should be to get the patient to the hospital as soon as possible. Any delay in transport delays definitive care and increases the patient's chance of death. Hypotension in a patient with chest pain indicates cardiogenic shock due to severe cardiac damage and requires treatment that can only be given at the hospital. D Patients with chest pain, pressure, or discomfort with a systolic BP less than 100 mm Hg should be transported to the hospital without delay. Your MOST important action should be to:ĭ: transport without delay. During your assessment of a 70-year-old man with crushing chest pain, you note that his blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg. Do not rule out a cardiac problem just because a patient is not experiencing chest pain, pressure, or discomfort this is especially true in elderly females with diabetes. In particular, elderly women with diabetes may present with vague, unusual, or atypical symptoms of AMI their only presenting complaint may be fatigue or syncope. Some patients, however, do not experience any pain. Middle-aged men often minimize their symptoms and attribute their chest pain or discomfort to indigestion. Which of the following patients would MOST likely present with vague or unusual symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction?ĭ: 75-year-old male with hypertension C Not all patients experiencing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) present with the classic signs and symptoms one would expect. If the patient complains of a headache, it is usually a side effect of the nitroglycerin they took before your arrival ACS itself usually does not cause a headache. Blood pressure may fall as a result of decreased cardiac output however, most patients will have a normal or elevated blood pressure. Respirations are usually unlabored unless the patient has congestive heart failure, in which case respirations are rapid and labored irregular breathing, however, is not common.
I HAVE A HEADACHE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY FOREHEAD SKIN
Less commonly, the patient's skin is cyanotic. The skin is often ashen gray and clammy (diaphoretic) because of poor cardiac output and decreased perfusion. Nausea and vomiting are common complaints however, projectile vomiting, which is typically associated with increased intracranial pressure, is uncommon. Patients with ACS are usually anxious and may have a feeling of impending doom. C Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort is the most common symptom of acute coronary syndrome, or ACS (eg, unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction) it occurs in approximately 80% of cases. TERMS IN THIS SET (100) In addition to chest pain or discomfort, a patient experiencing an acute coronary syndrome would MOST likely present with:Ī: severe projectile vomiting and flushed skin.ī: irregular breathing and low blood pressure.Ĭ: ashen skin color, diaphoresis, and anxiety.ĭ: profound cyanosis, dry skin, and a headache.