Course Detail

Education Category: Medical / Surgical

Release Date: 01/01/2012

Expiration Date: 12/31/2014

This course is designed for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals working in adult healthcare settings where they are likely to encounter patients who are, or should be, receiving medical intervention for control of ventricular arrhythmias.

This program has been pre-approved by The Commission for Case Manager Certification to provide continuing education credit to CCM® board certified case managers. The course is approved for 8 CE contact hour(s). Activity code: H0000225. CME Resource is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CME Resource has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102. In obtaining this approval, CME Resource has demonstrated that it complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard which is widely recognized as the Standard of good practice internationally. As a result of their Authorized Provider accreditation status, CME Resource is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standard. Approval Number: 20132323. To claim these CEs, log into your CE Center account at www.ccmcertification.org. CME Resource is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. CME Resource is approved to offer continuing education through the Florida Board of Nursing Home Administrators. Provider Number 50-2405. CME Resource is approved by the California Nursing Home Administrator Program as a provider of continuing education. Provider number 1622.

CME Resource is authorized by IACET to offer 1.5 CEU(s) for this program. CME Resource designates this enduring material for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. CME Resource designates this continuing education activity for 15 ANCC contact hour(s). CME Resource designates this continuing education activity for 3 pharmacology contact hour(s). CME Resource designates this continuing education activity for 18 hours for Alabama nurses. This continuing education activity is approved for 18 CE credits by the Association of Surgical Technologists, Inc., for continuing education for the Certified Surgical Technologist and Certified Surgical First Assistant. This recognition does not imply that AST approves or endorses any product or products that are discussed or mentioned in the CE course. This home study course is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing Home Administrators for 5 credit hour(s). This course is approved by the California Nursing Home Administrator Program for 10 hour(s) of continuing education credit - NHAP#1622010-8921/P. California NHAs may only obtain a maximum of 10 hours per course. AACN Synergy CERP Category A.

In addition to states that accept ANCC, CME Resource is approved as a provider of continuing education in nursing by: Alabama, Provider #ABNP0353, (valid through December 12, 2013); California, BRN Provider #CEP9784; California, LVN Provider #V10662; California, PT Provider #V10671; Florida, Provider #50-2405; Iowa, Provider #295; Kentucky, Provider #7-0054 through 12/31/2017, Kentucky Board of Nursing approval of an individual nursing continuing education provider does not constitute endorsement of program content.

This activity is designed to comply with the requirements of California Assembly Bill 1195, Cultural and Linguistic Competency.

The purpose of this course is to provide physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals with up-to-date knowledge of risk factors for development of ventricular arrhythmias, recommended therapies for the immediate and long-term management of arrhythmias, and indications of complications or side effects of therapy necessary to facilitate effective patient management, early identification of problems, and appropriate patient and family education.

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Define basic concepts of normal cardiac conduction, including cellular events, and normal electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform.
2. Identify premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), including electrophysiological characteristics, patterns of occurrence, related symptoms and common precipitating causes.
3. Describe monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT), including electrophysiological characteristics, impact on physiological functioning, and underlying pathophysiology.
4. Identify polymorphic VT, including electrophysiological characteristics, impact on physiological functioning, and underlying pathophysiology.
5. Describe ventricular fibrillation, including electrophysiological characteristics, impact on physiological functioning, and underlying pathophysiology.
6. List key points in the American Heart Association's Chain of Survival, including the use of automated external defibrillators (AED).
7. Summarize key points in the emergency management of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias for patients, as recommended by ACLS guidelines.
8. Outline the assessment, diagnosis, and risk stratification process for patients who have, or are deemed to be at risk for, ventricular arrhythmias.
9. Describe the management of PVCs and nonsustained VT in persons with and without heart disease.
10. State major indications for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and outline the basic components, functions, therapy options, and implantation procedure for current generation ICDs.
11. Discuss basic discharge education, home safety measures, psychosocial considerations, and medical follow-up for a person post-ICD implantation.
12. Evaluate problems that may occur with ICD functioning, including ICD storm, delivery of inappropriate shocks, and failure to deliver therapy.
13. Describe the use of antiarrhythmic medications in the long-term management of ventricular arrhythmias.
14. Describe additional therapies that may be used in the management of ventricular arrhythmias, including the optimization of medical therapy for underlying heart disease and the use of ventricular reconstruction surgery.
15. Analyze current trends and issues in the management of persons who have, or are at risk for, ventricular arrhythmias.
16. Using simulated clinical data, discuss the clinical management of a person with ischemic cardiomyopathy and nonsustained VT, and the clinical management of a person who experiences multiple ICD shocks.

Karen Majorowicz, RN, ARNP, is currently employed in the Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit at Shands Healthcare at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She received her Master's in Medical-Surgical Nursing in 1978 from the University of Maryland. Karen has created numerous instructional manuals on Medicare and has conducted educational programs on cardiovascular assessment. She was a curriculum and instructional design consultant to the Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida, for a self-paced instructional module of SSI Disability for children.

Contributing faculty, Karen Majorowicz, RN, ARNP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Ronald Runciman, MD

Sharon Cannon, RN, EdD, ANEF

The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

The purpose of CME Resource is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

It is the policy of CME Resource not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.