Coming soon
Video walkthrough
We’re producing a short video for every module — check back soon.
So there are two separate ways the heart fails you, and you have to sort which one you're looking at before you touch a drug.
Acute coronary syndrome is a supply problem. A coronary artery narrows or blocks, and the muscle downstream doesn't get the blood it needs. That's ischemia, and if it goes on long enough, that muscle dies.
Heart failure is a pump problem. The ventricle can't move what it receives, so blood backs up behind it. Fluid ends up in the lungs, or in the body, depending on which side is failing.
They're not unrelated. A big infarct can knock out enough muscle to cause heart failure on the spot. And a heart that's already failing is more prone to ischemia, because it's working harder with less reserve. But your job on scene is to ask which problem is in front of you right now, because the treatments pull in different directions. Aspirin and nitroglycerin are for the supply problem. Sitting the patient up and CPAP are for the pump problem.
Free preview ends here
The rest of this lesson — and every other lesson, with its mastery check — is part of every paid plan, with a 7-day free trial.
Still ahead in this lesson
Save your progress
A free account keeps your practice history, tracks your weak topics, and remembers every question you missed so you can come back to them.
Ready for the module check?
5 questions, freshly drawn each attempt. 80%+ to pass. Retries are unlimited and immediate.