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Cardiovascular Emergencies Flashcards

7 cards from real AEMCA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Cardiovascular Emergencies flashcards as text

  1. A 58-year-old presents with intermittent palpitations. The rhythm strip shows a regular narrow-complex tachycardia at 160 bpm with no visible P waves. Which vagal maneuver should be attempted first?

    Answer: Valsalva maneuver

    The Valsalva maneuver is the first-line vagal technique for stable SVT; it is safe, non-invasive, and has a reasonable conversion rate.

  2. Beck's Triad — hypotension, muffled heart sounds, and jugular venous distension — is the classic presentation of which emergency?

    Answer: Cardiac tamponade

    Beck's Triad describes the hallmarks of cardiac tamponade, where fluid compresses the heart and impairs filling.

  3. A patient on digoxin therapy presents with bradycardia, nausea, and yellow-green visual halos. Which electrolyte abnormality potentiates digoxin toxicity?

    Answer: Hypokalemia

    Hypokalemia increases myocardial sensitivity to digoxin by competing for the same Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase binding sites, potentiating toxicity.

  4. Which ECG change is an early indicator of right ventricular strain in a patient with massive pulmonary embolism?

    Answer: S1Q3T3 pattern

    The S1Q3T3 pattern (S wave in lead I, Q wave and T-wave inversion in lead III) is a classic, though non-specific, ECG sign of acute right heart strain from PE.

  5. A patient with stable angina reports chest pain that begins with exercise and resolves with rest within 5 minutes. This is BEST described as which type of angina?

    Answer: Classic (stable) angina

    Classic stable angina is predictably triggered by exertion or stress and consistently relieved by rest or nitrates within a few minutes.

  6. When using a manual defibrillator on an adult in ventricular fibrillation, what is the initial recommended energy setting for a biphasic device?

    Answer: 120–200 J

    AHA guidelines recommend 120–200 J for the initial biphasic defibrillation shock, following the manufacturer's recommended dose.

  7. A patient in 3rd-degree (complete) AV block is hemodynamically unstable with a rate of 30 bpm. What is the correct initial treatment?

    Answer: Transcutaneous pacing

    Transcutaneous pacing is the immediate treatment for hemodynamically unstable symptomatic bradycardia including complete heart block.