Credits Hours: 1.00

Course Description:
Approximately one-third of all EMS calls are cardiac-related. Assessment of the cardiac patient is similar to that of other medical patients, except for added emphasis placed on certain aspects of the assessment procedure. This course will review cardiac anatomy and physiology, detail the components of an advanced cardiac assessment.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• List the signs and symptoms commonly associated with the patient experiencing a cardiac emergency.
• Describe the sequence and the components of a primary and secondary assessment of the cardiac patient.
• Given a list of common physical findings related to the cardiac patient, distinguish between symptoms related to cardiac disease and those related to non-cardiac causes.
• Given a list of symptoms and signs garnered from a primary assessment, formulate a treatment plan for stabilization of the cardiac patient.