Common Terms
Also known as rapid response team, a group of designated healthcare workers that respond emergency codes
What is a Code Team?
Utilized in healthcare to signal an emergency in which needed staff will respond
What is a Code?
The rhythm displayed when a patient's heart has stopped beating
What is Asystole?
This type of EKG is ordered if the physician wants to assess for a specific type of Myocardial Infarction
What is Posterior Placement (V7, V8, & V9)?
Describes the shape and direction of complexes, segments, and waves
What is Morphology?
A situation in which the electrical stimulation generated by an artificial pacemaker does not result in contraction of the heart muscle
What is Failure to Capture?
When a patient experiences one or more mini-strokes prior to having a stroke
What is a TIA-Transient Ischemic Attack?
Described as sawtooth or picket fence waves
What are F waves?
Two types of artifacts that can be created due to a patient's muscle movement
What is Wandering Baseline and Somatic Tremor?
My mechanical action is ventricular contraction and my electrical action is ventricular depolarization
What is the QRS Complex?
The isoelectric area on an EKG tracing between two waves
What is a Segment?
In a fire, the RACE acronym stands for
R-rescue or remove anyone in danger
A-activate the fire alarm
C-contain the fire
E-extinguish the fire
The basic rhythm of a patient's heart, separate from any abnormal beats or complexes
What is an Underlying Rhythm?
What is Children ages 2-12?
The heart's pattern
What is Heart Rhythm?
A wave and a segment taken together
What is an Interval?
Common drugs administered in a cardiac emergency
What is Aspirin, Nitroglycerin, and Oxygen?
I am a lethal rhythm that is disorganized and does not produce any cardiac output
What is Ventricular Fibrillation?
Patient with orthopnea would be placed in this position for an EKG
What is Semi-Fowlers Position?
This type of regularity includes QRS complexes that clearly repeat but may or may not look the same
To gently scrub the outer layer of skin to remove debris that can interfere with electrode contact
What is Abrade or Abrading?
In this position, the patient is on his or her side with head supported by one arm and top leg is bent to support the body
What is the Recovery Position or Lateral Recumbent Position?
An impulse that travels backwards in comparison to the usual cardiac conduction pathway and is most common in this type of rhythm
What is Retrograde & Junctional Rhythms?
Placing limb electrodes on the torso and encouraging slow deep breaths can help with this type of artifact
What is Wandering Baseline?
Three things needed for the heart to effectively pump enough blood throughout the body
What is a properly functioning electrical system, healthy heart valves and muscles, and proper blood supply and intact vascular system.