Chat with AIExam 42: Principles of Electrocardiography
A primary responsibility of the medical assistant when obtaining an ECG is to prevent artifacts or correct the problem that created an artifact and try again to print a clean strip. Explain the four artifacts that can occur, give an example of why the artifact might occur, and explain what the medical assistant can do to solve the problem.
(76) 
Verified· Wandering baseline: The stylus gradually shifts away from the center of the paper. It is caused by slight movement of the patient during the tracing or poor electrode attachment; it is resolved by reminding the patient to remain as still as possible and can be facilitated by maintaining patient comfort.
· Somatic tremor: This is caused by muscle movement; it shows up on the recording as jagged peaks of irregular height and spacing with a shifting baseline. The most common causes include patient discomfort, apprehension, movement, talking, or having a condition that causes uncontrollable body tremors.
· AC interference: This appears as a series of uniform small spikes on the paper. It can be minimized by making sure the ECG is plugged into a three-pronged, grounded outlet; keeping lead wires uncrossed; unplugging other electrical appliances in the room; moving the table away from the wall; and perhaps even turning off overhead fluorescent lights.
· Baseline interruption: This occurs when the electric connection has been interrupted; the stylus moves violently up and down across the paper, or it may record a straight line across the top or the bottom of the paper. It is caused by patient movement that dislodges the electrodes, a broken cable wire, or dislodged lead wires.
The SA node is located in the lower wall of the right atrium near the ventricular septum.
(89) VerifiedFALSE
Which of the following artifacts appears as a series of uniform small spikes on the ECG paper?
(69) VerifiedB
A cardiac __________ is a diagnostic procedure performed to evaluate the patient's myocardial response to measured exercise.
(75) The augmented leads, which include aVR and aVL, record the electrical activity between specific points on the chest wall and within the heart.
(71) The medical assistant may assist with pacemaker implantation in the physician's office setting.
(76) Which of the following devices monitors the heart rhythm and delivers a shock to the heart if it detects a dangerous ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation?
(86) __________ refers to a regular heart rate that ranges from 60 to 90 bpm.
(86) In a standard 12-lead ECG, the measurement of current that the heart muscle produces between the right arm electrode and the left arm electrode is known as the
(78) Which deflection from the baseline represents the repolarization of the ventricles?
(74) Lead I records the electrical activity between the right arm and the left arm.
(64) To check the standardization of the ECG machine, the medical assistant depresses the standardization button. The stylus should deflect how many millimeters?
(71) The __________ is the electric recording of the heart at rest.
(81) Documentation for an ECG should include whether the patient smoked a cigarette within 15 minutes of the procedure.
(77) 
Filters
- Essay(0)
- Multiple Choice(0)
- Short Answer(0)
- True False(0)
- Matching(0)