Credits Hours: 1.00

Course Description:
Nearly 500,000 deaths occur each year from cardiac disease, 250,000 of them prior to hospitalization. That equals 685 prehospital deaths per day from coronary artery disease. A detailed history and physical, which takes very little time (5-10 minutes), can provide valuable information to help manage and treat the cardiac patient. This course will address the signs and symptoms of various cardiac events, describe the components of assessment, and provide appropriate treatment plans for the patient experiencing a cardiac emergency.

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 the initial, focused, and ongoing assessment of the cardiac patient.
• Given a list of signs and symptoms, choose the patient who is a candidate for the use of nitroglycerin.
• Given a list of signs and symptoms garnered from a primary assessment, formulate a treatment plan for management of the cardiac patient.