Acute coronary syndrome or ACS is a term used for describing different myocardial (heart) conditions caused by a sudden reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle. This could result in heart attacks, cardiac arrests, and more. The patients suffering from these conditions require immediate care, making ACS a time-sensitive condition. So as an air medical transport crew, you need to administer the necessary pre-hospital care aiming towards rapid reperfusion, which involves the suddenly blocked coronary artery.
Important Pre-Hospital ACS care Tips for Air Medical Transport Crew
When providing pre-hospital care to patients suffering from any kind of ACS, here are some important tips you can make use of:
- If the patient has a normal oxygen saturation level, it may be harmful to administer supplemental oxygen. So make sure you consider their SpO2 readings before you resort to supplemental oxygen use.
- If the patient doe not have an allergy towards aspirin or is suffering from active gastrointestinal bleeding, immediate administration of aspirin is highly recommended. In order to ensure that the aspirin enters the bloodstream more rapidly, make sure the pill is chewed instead of being swallowed whole.
- Although air medical transport crews can safely administer fibrinolytic therapy, it is not recommended if you can get the patient to a PCI center quickly. It is only recommended for use if the transport time is greater than 30 minutes.
- Transporting a cardiac arrest patient to a PCI center at least 24 hours after the arrest is essential for better chance of survival.
When you are a part of an in-flight medical crew, it’s highly likely that you’ll encounter patients with chest pain every now and then. This makes it crucial to educate yourself on the latest assessment and treatment guidelines for acute coronary syndrome.
