Q: Chest pain caused by the narrowing of the heart’s blood vessels is called:
A. Angina
B. Myocardial infarction
C. Allergy
D. Heart attack
Keyword: chest pain
- Angina is a term used for chest pain caused by reduced blood to the heart muscles. The pain may radiate through the arm, neck, and jaw.
- Myocardial infarction, also called heart attack, refers to “death of the heart muscle.” This occurs when one of the coronary (heart) arteries delivering oxygenated blood to the heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked, depriving the heart of oxygen. Signs and symptoms of heart attack include shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea, which are very similar to the signs and symptoms of an angina attack.
- Allergy is a hyper-reaction to an allergen. It generally manifests as a skin reaction, such as urticaria, swelling, and pruritus.
Answer: (A). Angina
Let’s go a little further and learn how we can treat an angina attack. To control the situation, up to 3 doses of nitroglycerin tablets should be given every 3-5 minutes within a 15-minute period. If the pain is not relieved, the clinician can assume that this is a myocardial infarction and EMS should be activated. Angina is one of the 19 medical emergencies we thought you should know for the dental assistant board exams and school exams at SmarterDA. It is also important to know what else you can do to prevent such an emergency. That could be providing a “stress-free” environment, scheduling the patient in the morning, and postponing treatments of patients who have recently experienced a cardiovascular condition.
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Author: Claire RDH, CDA, MS
Claire is the founder of StudentRDH and SmarterDA – exams prep solutions for the dental hygiene and dental assisting students. The online solutions deliver content of the highest quality through the latest e-learning technology. According to some students, studying is now “addictive!” Prior to her career in the dental field, Claire Jeong was an education specialist at Boston Children’s Museum. Claire is licensed to practice in the United States as well as Canada. She provides personalized mentorship and can be reached at ClaireJ@SmarterDA.com and support@SmarterDA.com