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Matters of the Heart: Assessment, Diagnostics and Treatments

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Course Description

This one-day course provides a review of essential cardiac assessment skills, including physical assessment, use of bedside cardiac monitoring and 12-Lead ECG interpretation skills in evaluating patients with cardiac disease. Included is a review of commonly used cardiac drugs and the pathophysiology and evidence-based management of the most commonly encountered cardiac diagnoses: hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and acute coronary syndromes. This class is appropriate for nurses who care for patients with cardiac conditions in all types of clinical settings as well as for advanced practice nurses and nurse educators.

Program Learning Outcomes

This program prepares the learner to:

  • Apply physiological concepts to your understanding of cardiovascular drug therapy.
  • Utilize physical assessment skills to evaluate a patient’s cardiovascular status.
  • Apply monitoring electrodes correctly, and select appropriate leads for evaluation of cardiac rhythm.
  • Utilize the 12-Lead ECG to evaluate patients with chest pain and acute coronary syndrome.
  • Discuss management of patients with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and acute coronary syndromes.

Agenda

Sign-in begins at 7:30 am. The day includes a one-hour lunch (on your own), as well as a morning and afternoon break of 15 minutes each. The order of lectures presented and break times may vary according to speaker preference.

8:00 am to 4:30 pm

  • Physical Assessment Skills and Bedside Monitoring Principles
    Blood Pressure Evaluation | Neck Vein Evaluation | Heart Sounds | Cardiac Monitoring (Lead Placement and Selection)
  • Drug Mechanism of Action and Side Effects
    Altering the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System | Drugs to Control Blood Pressure | Drugs to Alter Platelet Function and the Clotting Cascade
  • Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Hypertension
    Diagnosis of Hypertension | Evidence-Based Guidelines for Hypertension Management | Sprint Study
  • Evidence-Based Guidelines for Management of Atrial Fibrillation
    Hemodynamic Consequences of Atrial Fib | ECG Recognition | Drugs for Rate and Rhythm Control | Anticoagulation Issues and Stroke Prevention | Nonpharmacological Management
  • Pathophysiology and Compensatory Mechanisms
    Pathophysiology of Heart Failure | Systolic vs. Diastolic HF | Classification Systems | Acute Decompensated HF | Drug Therapy | Biventricular Pacing | Ventricular Assist Devices
  • Acute Coronary Syndromes
    Pathophysiology | Ischemia vs. Injury | Sites of Infarction | 18-Lead ECG | STEMI | Non-STEMI | Practice ECGs