Infection Control & Safety
This is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infection.
Hand Hygiene (using soap/water or sanitizer).
The general term for the process of lightly cleaning and abrading the skin before applying electrodes to ensure a clean, electrical signal.
What is Skin Prep?
The color of the electrode cable that must be placed on the right arm (RA).
What is White? (In the AHA color code)
During a stress test, the four limb electrodes are generally placed here to minimize artifact from patient limb movement.
What is on the torso (or proximal limbs/shoulders and hips)?
The type of ambulatory monitor used for a patient whose symptoms occur frequently, such as every day.
What is a Holter Monitor?
The specific heart chamber where deoxygenated blood from the Vena Cava first enters the heart.
What is the Right Atrium (RA)?
The primary medical professional whose core duty is to prepare the patient, attach the electrodes, and perform the electrocardiogram.
What is the EKG Technician (or ECG Technician)?
This Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required when entering a room under Contact Precautions.
Gown and Gloves.
The ideal patient position for acquiring a resting 12-lead ECG.
What is the supine position?
Leads I, II, and III are classified as this specific type of limb lead.
What are Bipolar leads?
Using the AHA color code, this is the color of the electrode placed at the lower left abdomen (the LL position).
What is Black?
The environment where telemetry monitoring occurs, allowing real-time, central observation of a patient's rhythm.
What is the hospital (or inpatient setting)?
The valve that separates the left atrium (LA) from the left ventricle (LV).
What is the Mitral Valve (or Bicuspid Valve)?
The type of consent legally required for high-risk procedures like a Stress Test, which involves detailed explanation and signing.
What is Informed Consent?
The final piece of PPE doffed immediately before the final hand hygiene.
What is the mask or respirator?
The normal adult heart rate range, in beats per minute (bpm).
What is 60 to 100 bpm?
The anatomical location for the V4 electrode.
What is the 5th intercostal space at the midclavicular line (left side)?
The primary goal of a stress test is to detect ischemia, which is a lack of oxygen caused by a narrowing of these specific vessels.
What are the Coronary Arteries?
The document a patient must keep during Holter monitoring to correlate ECG changes with physical activity and cardiac symptoms.
What is the symptom diary (or event log/journal)?
The circulation pathway that carries oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to the rest of the body and returns deoxygenated blood to the right side.
What is Systemic Circulation?
The type of consent given when a patient extends their arm and cooperates with the technician for a routine resting ECG.
What is Implied Consent?
The specific link in the Chain of Infection that is broken when a medical assistant uses an alcohol-based wipe to clean the reusable ECG lead wires.
What is the Mode of Transmission?
This is the normal adult respiratory rate (RR) range, in breaths per minute.
What is 12 to 20 bpm?
The ECG leads (II, III, and aVF) view this wall of the heart.
What is the Inferior wall?
The most common protocol used for treadmill exercise tests, which increases speed and incline every three minutes.
What is the Bruce Protocol?
In a 5-lead ECG setup, the V1 lead is placed here, corresponding to the Brown cable in the AHA color code.
What is the 4th intercostal space, right sternal border?
The thickest, most powerful chamber responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the entire body.
What is the Left Ventricle (LV)?
What two key actions are strictly outside the scope of practice for an EKG technician, as they require physician authorization?
What are to diagnose and to recommend (treatment or lifestyle changes)?
The category of waste disposal that requires discarding used adhesive electrodes and contaminated patient wipes.
What is Biohazard Waste?
A patient's blood pressure reads 145/95 mmHg. According to AHA/ACC guidelines, this is the stage of hypertension.
What is Stage 2 Hypertension?
The correct anatomical placement for the V6 electrode.
What is the 5th intercostal space at the midaxillary line (left side)?
This type of test uses pharmacologic agents like Dobutamine to raise the heart rate when a patient cannot physically exercise.
What is a Chemical (or Pharmacologic) Stress Test?
The monitoring device appropriate for a patient whose symptoms occur rarely and randomly (e.g., once every few weeks).
What is an Event Monitor?
he vessel that carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle and toward the lungs.
What is the Pulmonary Artery?
The law that requires an ECG technician to shred a patient's faulty or discarded printout, instead of throwing it in a regular trash can.
What is HIPAA?