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Medical Emergencies · Chapter 15 Not started
Cardiovascular Emergencies
Chest pain, cardiac arrest, and the CPR-plus-AED sequence that saves lives on the mountain.
Key points
- Treat all non-traumatic chest pain as cardiac until proven otherwise: pressure, radiation to arm/jaw, sweating, nausea, shortness of breath.
- Cardiac chest pain care: stop all exertion, keep the patient still and calm, oxygen if indicated, assist with prescribed nitroglycerin per protocol, aspirin if protocols allow.
- Cold and altitude increase cardiac workload — the classic patrol cardiac patient is the deconditioned visitor exerting at elevation.
- Cardiac arrest: immediate high-quality CPR — hard, fast (100–120/min), full recoil, minimal interruptions — and the AED as soon as it arrives.
- The AED analyzes and advises; your job is compressions the instant it says shock delivered or no shock advised.
- Never let a suspected cardiac patient ski down or walk to the aid room — bring the transport to them.
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