Arrhythmias and their Management
The five phases of the action potential in Figure 10.1 are as follows. Phase 4 – the resting phase. The cell is negatively charged compared with the outside. This difference,…
ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Figure 7.2 Chain of events following the rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque. When the blood flow to the myocardium deteriorates, myocardial oxygen demands exceed those of supply and the…
Emergency Cardiac Care
In the years since the publication of comprehensive critical care (DH, 2000), CCOTs have developed across most acute hospitals in England. However, this has not happened in a uniform manner….
Assessment of the Cardiovascular System
Carotid Pulse The carotid pulse is not normally visible when looking at the neck. It can be palpated medial to and below the angle of the jaw. It is important…
Non-ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Uniqueness Of NSTEMI The diagnosis of NSTEMI is based on a history of acute cardiac ischaemia in the absence of ST segment elevation. In NSTEMI it is common for the…
Cardiothoracic Care
There are readily available tools in cardiothoracic units that can be used to automatically calculate this value, but the patient’s height and weight need to be recorded to enable this….
Diagnosing Acute Coronary Syndrome
The rules that determine which wave is which are as follows, remembering that not all of these waves may be seen in all leads or indeed, be present. The small,…
Therapeutic Intervention in Acute Coronary Syndromes
Figure 8.2 Right coronary artery disease with wire in position within the artery. Figure 8.3 Right coronary artery PCI with stent in situ within the vessel. However, the logistical difficulties…
Unstable Angina
In some cases, this investigation will be repeated at half-hourly intervals, allowing early detection of changes of myocardial infarction and resolution of acute ischaemic changes. Continuous 12-lead ST segment monitoring,…
Long-Term Cardiac Conditions
Prevalence Atrial fibrillation occurs in 1% of the population, rising to 4% in people aged 45 years (DH, 2005b), and is as high as 10% in those over the age…
