Cardiac Care: Understanding Complex Cardiac Conditions

2 Day Seminar to Advance Your Knowledge

Overview

Cardiac disease is increasing in our community. Technology and better knowledge combined with less invasive treatments mean that even people with complex cardiac conditions are living longer. If you care for patients with complex cardiac disease attend this seminar to advance your knowledge about:

• Complex dysrhythmias - causes, identification and management
• Chest pain - differentiation of types and immediate nursing interventions
• Heart murmurs, extra heart sounds and valvular disorders - how to accurately auscultate
• Cardiogenic shock - clinical symptoms and shock
• Complex case study of a patient with congestive cardiac failure
• Troubleshooting temporary epicardial pacing and much, much more...

Attend this seminar if you are already confident in your cardiac care and would like to advance your knowledge further in regard to complex, yet common cardiac conditions. Book now!

Need for Program

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2016) nearly half a million hospital admissions in 2014-2015 were specifically related to the circulatory system, including arrhythmia, heart failure, heart attacks and angina. As our ageing population increases, so do complex cardiac diseases. Nurses caring for patients with these conditions need to feel confident that they are up-to-date with the assessment and management of complex cardiac disorder so as to continually improve patient outcomes.

Purpose of Program

The purpose of this program is to Improve patient outcomes for people who present with cardiac disease through assessment, understanding of relevant pathophysiology and appropriate evidence-based nursing actions.

Your Learning Outcomes

• You will have greater confidence in assessing a patient with a complex cardiac condition
• Patients in your care will have complex dysrhythmias recognised at an early stage and managed according to best-practice
• Immediate nursing assessment, management and differentiation of chest pain will reflect current guidelines
• Knowledge of cardiac function will assist you to recognise cardiogenic shock early to prevent complications
• Schedule Day One

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  8:30am - Registration and Refreshments

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  9:00am

  Welcome, Overview of Seminar and Pre-Test

  This introductory session will provide you with an opportunity to benchmark your knowledge. Privately you will be asked to complete a short pre-test relating to the content to be covered over the two days.

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  9:15am

  Cardiac Anatomy and Physiology

  This revision session provides the foundation for your understanding of complex cardiac disorders. You will have an opportunity to reflect on your current level of knowledge relating to cardiovascular system anatomy and physiology and brush up on the following:

  • Brief revision of cardiac anatomy and physiology
  • Understanding of the electrical and mechanical events within the heart
  • How do vital signs relate to physiological processes?
  • What are the determinants of cardiac output?

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  10:00am

  Cardiovascular System - Physical Assessment

  Nurses working in cardiac specialties such as cardiology, cardiothoracic and coronary care units will pride themselves on having impeccable cardiac assessment skills. Despite access to continuous monitoring, physical examination techniques elicit a significant portion of data from which you generate a nursing assessment. This session will cover the haemodynamic physical assessment of a patient based on:

  • Preload
    • Starling’s law
    • Fluid/hydration status and fluid challenges
    • CVP and JVP assessment
  • Contractility
    • Heart rate and rhythm
    • Pulse
    • Stroke volume; cardiac output; cardiac function
    • ECG
  • After load
    • Blood pressure
    • Temperature
    • Autoregulation

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  11:00am - Morning Tea

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  11:15am

  How to Spot Acute Coronary Syndrome on an ECG

  This next session will consider the management of Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) You will be able to:

  • Understand the significance of ST elevation, ST depression, T wave inversion and pathological Q waves
  • Relate complex clinical presentations and ECG changes to pathophysiological changes occurring in ACS
  • Differentiate chest pain presentations using clinical symptoms and practice recognising subtle ECG changes that accompany each type

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  1:15pm - Lunch and Networking

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  2:15pm

  Identifying and Managing Unstable Tachycardias

  Unstable tachycardias have the potential to lead to cardiac arrest. The significance of these arrhythmias means that you must feel comfortable identifying and managing the following:

  • SVT, rapid AF and atrial flutter rhythms
  • SVT with aberrancy versus VT
  • Why bundle branch blocks alter the QRS complex
  • Drugs versus electrical cardioversion

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  3:45pm - Afternoon Tea

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  4:15pm

  Identifying and Managing Unstable Bradycardias

  This final session of day one will consider another class of potentially life-threatening arrhythmias. Includes how you identify and manage:

  • Sinus bradycardia, atrioventricular node block, and idioventricular rhythms
  • Drugs versus pacing

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  5:00pm - Close of Day One of Seminar

  Day Two

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  9:00am - Commencement of Day Two

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  9:00am

  Review of Day One and Introduction to Day

  Day two of the seminar will commence by providing you with an opportunity to ask questions and review principles which relate to your learning from day one. It will also introduce you to the program for day two.

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  9:15am

  Understanding the Concepts of Permanent and Temporary Pacemakers

  Temporary epicardial pacing is the most common means of pacing seen following cardiac surgery. Given the fast-paced nature of cardiac surgery and patients increasingly returning to cardiac units such as coronary care sooner in the post-operatively period, this final session looks at this important area of cardiac nursing. Includes:

  • What are the aims of temporary pacing?
  • What are the different types of temporary pacing and when is each type indicated?
  • Modes of pacing - what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
  • Threshold testing - simple steps for assessing sensitivity and output including what to document
  • Troubleshooting temporary pacemakers

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  10:45am - Morning Tea

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  11:15am

  Valvular Heart Disease

  Valvular heart disease is a common condition amongst Australians and is characterised by the malfunctioning of one or more of the heart's valves. This session will introduce valvular heart disease and review:

  • Occurrence of valvular heart disease
  • Risk factors for valvular heart disease
  • Understanding the pathophysiology of valvular heart disease
  • Patient symptoms that differentiate between different valvular diseases and how you would assess each

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  12:15pm

  Heart Murmurs and Extra Heart Sounds

  Continuing on from the previous session, this interactive session focuses on a practical approach to valvular heart disease recognition and includes:

  • Auscultating heart sounds to recognise when there are abnormal heart sounds present
  • Differentiating between valvular stenosis and regurgitation
  • Case scenarios to link your theoretical understanding with practical application

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  1:15pm - Lunch and Networking

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  2:15pm

  Understanding the Different Types of Shock

  The cardiovascular system is a closed circuit that maintains a perfect equilibrium; blood comes into the heart, blood goes through heart and blood then leaves the heart. This session will look at what happens when a spanner is thrown into the works of this perfectly functioning system and includes:

  • The relationship between preload, afterload and contractility
  • The differences between hypovolemic, cardiogenic and distributive shock
  • The causes, clinical symptoms and management of these various types of shock

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  3:45pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee

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  4:15pm

  Heart Failure - A Case Study

  Heart failure is often the result of a combination of other disorders, and may lead to numerous other system failures or complications in patients. In this session we will discuss the assessment, management and common treatment options that you need to be aware of in the patient presenting with the different types of heart failure. Includes:

  • How is cardiac output affected in heart failure?
  • Key differences in types and presentations of heart failure
  • What are the sequence of events in heart failure and how might these present in symptoms?
  • Putting it all together - assessment, education and nursing interventions relating to complex presentations - this session includes a complex case scenario relating to the management of a patient with an exacerbation of congestive cardiac failure

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  5:00pm

  Final Wrap Up and Completion of Post-Test Quiz

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  5:15pm - Close of Seminar and Evaluations

  Presenters

  
  

  Joanne Reading

  Joanne Reading is a clinical educator within the 42 bed ICU at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, which also services critically ill patients from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Women’s Hospital. Joanne holds a Critical Care Graduate Certificate and a Master of Health Science with a focus in education, and is also the author of her own nursing education website called “Blogging for your Noggin”. With a special interest in all things cardiac and respiratory, Joanne is passionate about ensuring that education not only fosters critical thinking, but is entertaining in the process!