First-Hour Prioritization in Cardiac Emergencies

At 08:10, a person reports chest pressure, sweating, and new breathlessness. A blocked coronary artery, acute pump failure, a malignant rhythm, or an aortic catastrophe could produce this same opening picture. The first priority is therefore not to name the diagnosis perfectly; it is to identify the immediate threat, summon the right level of help, begin permitted stabilization, and keep reassessing. This lesson uses one question to organize the first hour: What can kill this person first, and what finding will tell me whether my action worked?