Artifacts
This type of artifact is characterized by irregular spikes throughout the tracing and is related to muscle movement.
Example: Shivering or Parkinson’s Disease
Somatic Tremor
How long does the patient typically wear a Holter monitor
24-72 hours
Left anterior axillary line level with V4
V5
What setting on the EKG can be adjusted up when the electrical waves are too small to see?
Gain
What is the standard speed at which the EKG is normally running?
25 mm/sec
This type of artifact is characterized by regular spikes in the EKG tracing. It is related to poor grounding or to external electrical interference affecting the tracing.
Cause: Nearby electrical equipment such as lights, computers, and other items plugged into wall sockets.
AC Interference
Monitoring the heart during exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike to evaluate how the heart responds to stress.
stress testing
Between leads V2 and V4
V3
Electrodes are placed on ______ areas of the body to record heart activity from ____ leads.
10 areas
from 12 leads
Where do the first six leads originate from?
Leads I, II, III, aVR, aVL, & aVF
Arms and legs or Limb Leads
This type of artifact results from movement associated with breathing or poor electrode connection.
Cause: The tracing will move away from the center of the paper, making interpretation difficult.
Wandering Baseline
This is considered the ground or neutral lead connection point
Right Leg (RL)
Midclavicular line, 5th intercostal space
V4
You should do this BEFORE attaching the electrodes to the patient
clean the skin and make sure all oils/lotion are removed
What are the two most common patient identifiers used for an EKG procedure?
Patient name
Patient DOB
How do you fix a wandering baseline artifact?
Move them up or down into a Fowler position or into a supin position
Universal lead wires: RA, LA, LL, and RL -what are colors
White - RA
Black - LA
Red - LL
Green - RL
Midaxillary line, level with V5
V6
Name the three Augmented Leads
aVL
aVR
aVF
Where can the limb leads be placed?
Anywhere along the arms and legs. They just need to be the same on both sides.
What do you look to correct first when seeing no activity on the EKG tracing? In other words, it's flatline.
Lead connections. Starting with the right leg
What are the colors associated with each precordial lead?
V1 -
V2 -
V3 -
V4 -
V5 -
V6 -
V1 - red
V2 - yellow
V3 - green
V4 - blue
V5 - orange
V6 - purple
Right of sternum, 4th intercostal space
V1
Name the Limb Leads
Lead I
Lead II
Lead III
What should you ALWAYS check on the EKG Machine BEFORE starting the EKG on the patient?
Make sure the previous patient's name is removed and the new patient's name and information are input.