Deck 3: The Electrocardiograph

Question 1

Signal processing, which occurs inside the ECG machine,

A)amplifies the electrical impulse.
B)directs impulses to the ECG instrument.
C)notifies the operator of input errors.
D)provides an initial interpretation of the tracing.

Answer 1

amplifies the electrical impulse.

Question 2

You are preparing to conduct a 12-lead ECG on a patient. As you are gathering your supplies, you notice that five of the electrodes are made by one company and the other five electrodes are made by another company. What is your next step?

A)Conduct the 12-lead ECG with the electrodes present.
B)Find a complete set of 10 electrodes that are the same.
C)Tell your immediate supervisor that you couldn't conduct the 12-lead ECG procedure.
D)Tell the patient to come back at another time when you have all the equipment.

Answer 2

Find a complete set of 10 electrodes that are the same.

Question 3

You are performing a 12-lead ECG on a hospital patient using a portable ECG machine on a cart. As you are conducting the ECG, a red line appears at the bottom of the ECG graph paper. What should you do?

A)Stop the ECG and check the placement of the electrodes.
B)Continue the ECG, but remember to replace the paper before performing the next ECG.
C)Stop the ECG and replace the paper, then resume conducting the ECG.
D)Continue the ECG, but make a note on the ECG tracing that the patient moved during the recording.

Answer 3

Continue the ECG, but remember to replace the paper before performing the next ECG.

Question 4

The Einthoven triangle is formed by the following three limb leads:

A)right arm, left arm, right leg.
B)right leg, left arm, left leg.
C)right arm, left arm, left leg.
D)right leg, left leg, right arm.

Question 5

To obtain a 12-lead ECG tracing, you must apply how many lead wires and electrodes to the patient?

A)8
B)12
C)10
D)3

Question 6

The gain control is normally set at:

A)10 mm/mV.
B)20 mm/mV.
C)5 mm/mV.
D)25 mm/mV.

Question 7

The V2 lead should be placed at the:

A)fourth intercostal space, left sternal border.
B)fifth intercostal space at the midclavicular line.
C)fifth intercostal space, midaxillary line.
D)fourth intercostal space, right sternal border.

Question 8

Which of the following is not considered a bipolar lead?

A)Lead I
B)Lead II
C)aVR
D)Lead III

Question 9

Which of the following is not a type of lead used in a 12-lead ECG?

A)Bipolar
B)Unipolar
C)Chest
D)Abdomen

Question 10

Which type of electrode is preferred for use in a hospital or acute care setting?

A)Disposable electrodes
B)Plastic electrodes
C)Silver electrodes
D)Copper electrodes

Question 11

The ECG graph paper represents time horizontally and voltage vertically. What time and voltage are represented by one large box?

A)0)04 second and 0.1 mV
B)0)20 second and 0.5 mV
C)1 second and 0.4 mV
D)0)5 second and 0.2 mV

Question 12

The leads that make up a 12-lead ECG consist of:

A)6 standard, 3 augmented, and 3 chest leads.
B)3 standard, 3 augmented, and 6 chest leads.
C)6 augmented, 3 standard, and 3 chest leads.
D)4 augmented, 4 standard, and 4 chest leads.

Question 13

Unipolar leads include all the lead types except:

A)standard leads.
B)augmented leads.
C)chest leads.
D)precordial leads.

Question 14

The usual setting for the artifact filter is:

A)10 to 20 Hz.
B)20 to 40 Hz.
C)40 to 150 Hz.
D)100 to 250 Hz.

Question 15

For the proper placement of V3, you must have placed which other two leads on the patient's chest?

A)V2 and V4
B)V2 and V5
C)V5 and V4
D)V4 and V6

Question 16

The V1 lead should be placed at the:

A)fourth intercostal space, left sternal border.
B)fifth intercostal space at the midclavicular line.
C)fifth intercostal space, midaxillary line.
D)fourth intercostal space, right sternal border.

Question 17

Which of the following is not a basic function of the electrocardiograph?

A)Input
B)Signal processing
C)Output display
D)Analysis

Question 18

The most commonly used paper speed on the ECG machine is:

A)40 mm/sec.
B)25 mm/sec.
C)10 mm/sec.
D)50 mm/sec.

Question 19

Often it is difficult to read the ECG tracing if a patient's heart rate is fast. Where should you set the speed control to be able to interpret the ECG tracing more easily?

A)15 mm/sec
B)25 mm/sec
C)50 mm/sec
D)100 mm/sec

Question 20

The ECG waveform is indicative of:

A)how the heart is functioning electrically.
B)abnormal heart valve conditions.
C)the contraction of heart muscles.
D)the heart's pumping capability.

Question 21

When the paper speed is 25 mm/sec, how many boxes are present in a 1-minute recording?

A)150 boxes per minute
B)600 boxes per minute
C)300 boxes per minute
D)450 boxes per minute

Question 22

Computerized interpretation of the ECG tracing:

A)can be used for the actual diagnosis.
B)is usually validated by the technician.
C)must be validated by a physician.
D)replaces the physician's interpretation.

Question 23

Which one of these is not a commonly used method to calculate heart rates?

A)R-R method
B)1500 method
C)1-minute method
D)6-second method

Question 24

Each little box on the ECG paper horizontally represents:

A)0)04 second.
B)0)20 second.
C)1 mV.
D)1 second.

Question 25

A multichannel ECG monitors all 12 leads but usually records how many leads at one time?

A)12 leads
B)3 leads
C)1 lead
D)4 leads

Question 26

When estimating the heart rate with the 6-second method, you locate 6 seconds on a rhythm strip, count the number of complexes, and multiply by:

A)10.
B)60.
C)5)
D)15.

Question 27

The process of studying a current ECG tracing along with older ECGs taken at intervals to note differences in a patient's condition is:

A)multichannel recording.
B)ECG calibration.
C)serial ECG comparison.
D)quality control inspection.

Question 28

How long must the ECG tracing be maintained as part of a patient's medical record?

A)7 years
B)3 years
C)10 years
D)15 years

Question 29

Which of the following is a valid reason to change the speed of the ECG tracing?

A)The patient is a paramedic and requests a different speed.
B)You cannot clearly identify the waves because they are too close together.
C)The patient is having difficulty breathing.
D)The patient has high blood pressure.

Question 30

Which of the following is an advantage of using dot matrix paper instead of the standard grid paper?

A)Dot matrix paper is a heat-transfer paper that does not require ink.
B)Dot matrix paper is less expensive than standard grid paper.
C)Dot matrix paper produces sharper photocopies than standard grid paper.
D)Dot matrix paper is more readily available than standard grid paper.

Question 31

Which heart rate method is the most accurate with regular rhythms?

A)R-R method
B)6-second method
C)1500 method
D)300 method

Question 32

Which method of calculating the heart rate is shown below?

A)1500 method
B)R-R method
C)6-second method
D)1-minute method

Question 33

The term tachycardia means:

A)fast heart rate.
B)slow heart rate.
C)normal heart rate.
D)absence of heart rate.

Question 34

Which of the following substances can accidentally erase an ECG tracing?

A)Standard copier paper
B)Pencil lead
C)Plastic
D)Cardboard

Question 35

If you attempt to record an ECG and no tracing appears, what should you do?

A)Recheck the lead wires to make sure they are placed correctly.
B)Notify the physician.
C)Switch the arm and leg leads.
D)Stop the procedure and explain to the patient that the machine is malfunctioning.

Question 36

Using the 1500 method, calculate the heart rate.

A)40 bpm
B)60 bpm
C)80 bpm
D)20 bpm

Question 37

How many leads does a multichannel recorder monitor at one time?

A)3
B)6
C)10
D)12

Question 38

To perform an ECG with accuracy, the best source to obtain specific information about the machine you are using is to consult:

A)the policy and procedure manual.
B)the manufacturer's instructions.
C)your supervisor.
D)a co-worker.

Question 39

Which method is the only one to be used for irregular rhythms?

A)R-R method
B)6-second method
C)1500 method
D)1-minute method

Question 40

The term bradycardia means:

A)fast heart rate.
B)slow heart rate.
C)normal heart rate.
D)absence of heart rate.

Question 41

Which of the following has enhanced a patient's right to control his or her own health information, making it necessary to handle ECG tracings confidentially?

A)OSHA
B)HIPAA
C)CDC
D)AHA

Question 42

When serial ECGs are performed on a patient, which of the following guidelines should be followed to ensure accurate results?

A)The patient should not move between ECGs.
B)The patient should not eat or drink between ECGs.
C)The electrode placement must be the same for each ECG.
D)The electrodes must be changed for each successive ECG.

Question 43

Which method of estimating heart rate should you use for this tracing, and what is the estimated heart rate?

A)R-R method, 50 bpm
B)1500 method, 58 bpm
C)1500 method, 100 bpm
D)6-second method, 70 bpm

Question 44

Unwanted marks on an ECG tracing that are not related to the heart's electrical activity are known as:

A)gain.
B)artifact.
C)input.
D)output.

Question 45

The control on the ECG machine that increases or decreases the size of the ECG tracing is the:

A)speed control.
B)artifact filter.
C)gain control.
D)heart rate limit control.

Question 46

Use the R-R method to estimate the heart rate.

A)27 bpm
B)43 bpm
C)58 bpm
D)75 bpm

Question 47

Use the 1500 method to estimate the heart rate.

A)50 bpm
B)75 bpm
C)100 bpm
D)125 bpm

Question 48

ECG machines are calibrated so that:

A)1 cm = 1 second.
B)1 mV = 1 second.
C)1 cm = 1 mV.
D)1 mV = 0.5 cm.

Question 49

Estimate the heart rate using the 1500 method.

A)100 bpm
B)125 bpm
C)150 bpm
D)160 bpm

Question 50

Which type of electrode is most commonly used to perform an ECG?

A)Carbon
B)Silver
C)Gold
D)Disposable

Question 51

You are preparing to perform an ECG on a patient. When you open a new package of disposable electrodes, you notice that the gel appears to have dried out on some of the electrodes. What should you do?

A)Use them because they are new and the package was sealed.
B)Apply new gel to the electrodes and use them.
C)Consult your supervisor about whether to use the electrodes.
D)Discard the electrodes and open another package.

Question 52

Use the 6-second method to estimate the heart rate. Note: This strip represents exactly six seconds.

A)80 bpm
B)100 bpm
C)140 bpm
D)160 bpm

Question 53

Which of the following conditions can an ECG machine detect if you set up heart rate limits on the machine?

A)Tachycardia
B)Congestive heart failure
C)Myocardial infarction
D)Ischemia

Question 54

Estimate the heart rate using the R-R method.

A)100 bpm
B)125 bpm
C)150 bpm
D)160 bpm

Question 55

Use the 6-second method to estimate the heart rate. Note: This strip represents exactly six seconds.

A)140
B)84
C)120
D)70