Pathway Step 4 · Build your kit

🧰 Patient Tools Kit — Coronary-Artery-Disease

The everyday tools a Certified Prepared Patient keeps within reach: the rules that decide an emergency, the order to make calls, and the trackers that keep the routine on course. Print the cards, fill in your contacts, and keep this kit where the whole household can find it.

What’s in your kit

Eight tools. The first three are the rules you must know cold — they decide when something is an emergency. The rest keep the daily partnership steady and tell you where your role begins and ends.

1 The Chest Pain Rule 2 The Adherence Rule 3 Other Red Flags 4 The Contact Ladder 5 BP 6 CAD Meds 7 The ER Go-Bag 8 Speak Up / Trust the Team
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1 · The Chest Pain Rule

Know this cold

In someone with known coronary artery disease, chest pain is heart attack until proven otherwise. New, more frequent, or more severe chest pain — call 911.

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CAD CHEST PAIN RULE

Patient card
New or different pain
Chest pressure, tightness, squeezing — especially radiating to arm, jaw, neck — with sweating, nausea, breathlessness — 911.
Nitroglycerin protocol
If prescribed: sit down, take one nitro under tongue. Wait 5 min. If pain unresolved, call 911 + take another. Some patients can take a third. Never wait more than 15 min.
Chest pain at rest
Pain happening at rest (not with exertion) is unstable angina — even if mild. 911.
Your move as patient: Know where the nitro is. Help with the protocol. Don’t let you minimize new chest pain. Call 911 — ambulance can start treatment en route.
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2 · The CAD Medicine Adherence Rule

Know this cold

CAD medicines (statin, aspirin, BP meds, beta-blocker) work together to prevent heart attack and stroke. Each one stopped raises risk.

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CAD MEDICINE RULE

Patient card
Statin daily
Atorvastatin, rosuvastatin — lower cholesterol AND stabilize plaques. Take every night. Tell the team about muscle aches.
Aspirin daily
Low-dose aspirin (81mg) in most CAD patients. Don’t skip. Combine with PPI (omeprazole, pantoprazole) if stomach issues.
Beta-blocker continuity
Especially after a heart attack or with heart failure — never stop beta-blocker suddenly. Rebound rhythm problems possible.
Your move as patient: Set up pillbox. Track adherence. Watch for muscle aches (statin), bleeding (aspirin), slow pulse (beta-blocker) — tell team, don’t stop.
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3 · Other Red Flags — Emergencies

Know this cold

Beyond the two red rules above, these situations also mean immediate help. When in doubt, the home care plan handles ordinary days — these are not ordinary.

❤️ Chest pain

New, worse, or different chest pain — 911. Better safe than sorry.

Call 911 now

💨 Sudden severe breath

Could be heart failure or pulmonary embolism. 911.

Call 911 now

🧠 Sudden weakness / speech change

CAD shares risk with stroke. BE-FAST — 911.

Call 911 now

🥕 Palpitations + lightheaded

Could be dangerous rhythm. ED.

ED today
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4 · The Contact Ladder

Fill in & print

When something is wrong, you should not be deciding who to call in the moment — only which rung you are on. Fill in the names and numbers now, while things are calm.

1
Rung 1 · The plan

You's CAD plan + nitro protocol

Daily medicines, BP/cholesterol targets, nitro use, cardiac rehab schedule.

Action plan kept: ________________________
2
Rung 2 · The specialists

Cardiology

For chest pain, rhythm questions, medicine adjustments. Many cardiology offices have nurse lines.

Specialty team: ________________________
3
Rung 3 · Everyday care

Primary care provider

For routine care, BP, cholesterol, diabetes, vaccines.

Primary care: ________________________
4
Rung 4 · Emergency

911 / Emergency Department

For chest pain, severe breath, stroke signs, fainting.

Preferred ED: ________________________
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5 · Daily BP (Systolic)

Tap to log

Track morning BP top number. Goal under 130/80 for most CAD patients.

Personal target may differ. Bring log to cardiology and primary care.

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6 · CAD Medicine Support

Daily routine

The standard CAD regimen: statin, aspirin (or alternative antiplatelet), BP medicine(s), beta-blocker (especially after MI), sometimes ACE inhibitor.

The five medicines that save lives in CAD: statin (high-intensity), aspirin or clopidogrel, BP medicine (often ACE/ARB), beta-blocker. Each earns its place — missing any raises heart attack risk.

High-intensity statin

Atorvastatin 40-80mg or rosuvastatin 20-40mg for established CAD. Lower doses if true intolerance.

Cardiac rehab

After heart attack or stent, cardiac rehab cuts mortality. Insurance covers. Many patients skip — don’t.

Watch for muscle aches

Statin myalgia is real but often manageable — lower dose, different statin, etc. Tell team; don’t self-stop.

Dual antiplatelet

After stent — aspirin + clopidogrel for months. Both critical. Bleeding issues = call team.

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7 · The ER Go-Bag

Pack once, check monthly

A crisis is not the time to gather paperwork. Pack a go-bag now and keep it by the door. Tap each item as you add it — your checklist saves on this device.

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8 · Speak Up / Trust the Team Guide

You boundary

The hardest skill in patienting is knowing when to act and when to hold back. A great patient is a reliable backup and a fierce advocate — without taking your own care away from them.

💬 Speak up when…

  • A red-flag rule is met and a clinician is dismissing it — restate the rule and the home plan calmly and clearly.
  • You are in the ED and your home plan is being ignored — ask for it to be looked at, and ask for a senior clinician if needed.
  • You are about to be given a medicine or test that wasn’t in the plan — ask why, and ask about alternatives.
  • Your symptoms are escalating between visits — call before it becomes an ER trip.
  • You feel unheard or rushed — it’s OK to say "I need a minute to ask one more question."

🤝 Trust the team when…

  • They have proposed a guideline-based treatment that fits your plan.
  • You disagree from fear rather than from new information — pause, ask one question, listen.
  • You are on a stable run that’s working — small adjustments often beat big changes.
  • Your care partner’s instinct and the team’s recommendation agree — that’s a strong signal.
  • You’ve done your part of the homework — logs, questions, honest history — and now it’s the team’s turn.
The principle: you trained to the depth your clinicians use so you could be a partner in your own care, not a passenger. Speak up for safety and accuracy; trust the team for guideline-based treatment and steady adjustment. When unsure, ask a clarifying question first: “Can you walk me through your reasoning?”
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