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Medical Assistant > Module 9 - EKG And Cardiovascular Testing > Flashcards

Module 9 - EKG And Cardiovascular Testing Flashcards

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USMLE® Step 1 flashcards
1
Q

P wave

A

Represents atrial depolarization, contraction of the atria.

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2
Q

QRS wave

A

Represents ventricular depolarization, contraction of the ventricles

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3
Q

T wave

A

Represents ventricular repolarization, relaxation of the ventricles

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4
Q

U wave

A

Not always visible but represents a repolarization of the bundle of His and Purkinje fibers.

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5
Q

PR interval

A
  • Starts at the beginning of the P wave and ends at the beginning of the Q wave.
  • Represents the time from the beginning of atrial depolarization to the beginning of ventricular depolarization.
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6
Q

QT interval

A
  • Starts at the beginning of the Q wave and ends at the end of the T wave.
  • Represents the time from the beginning of ventricular depolarization to the end of ventricular repolarization.
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7
Q

ST segment

A
  • Starts at the end of the S wave and ends at the beginning of the T wave.
  • Represents the time from the end of ventricular depolarization to the beginning of ventricular repolarization.
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8
Q

Sinus rhythms

A

Normal rhythms that originate from the firing of the sinoatrial (SA) node and are characterized by the presence of one P wave for each QRS interval on the EKG

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9
Q

Sinus dysrhythmias, also known as arrhythmias, can arise when…

A

the SA node fires too slowly or too quickly.

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10
Q

Sinus bradycardia is a dysrhythmia characterized by what

A

a heart rate less than 60/min

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11
Q

Sinus tachycardia is a dysrhythmia by what

A

a heart rate greater than 100/min and one P wave preceding each QRS complex.

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12
Q

What is a break in the normal EKG

A

sinus arrest

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13
Q

Abnormal atrial rhythms are characterized by what?

A

the absence of P waves on the EKG

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14
Q

Commonly encountered atrial rhythms include

A

atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, and premature atrial contractions (PACs).

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15
Q

What happens during an atrial flutter?

A
  • a single area within the atrial tissue is firing at a rate faster than the rate the ventricles are responding to.
  • results in multiple flutter waves for each QRS complex on the EKG
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16
Q

What happens during atrial fibrillation

A
  • rapid, disorganized firing of multiple sites within the atrial tissue
  • results in lots of fibrillatory waves between QRS complexes and an irregular QRS rhythm
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17
Q

What are the risks of atrial fibrillation

A

developing blood clots and a stroke

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18
Q

When do premature contractions occur

A

when the atria are triggered to contract earlier than they should, resulting in a premature contraction

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19
Q

Ventricular arrhythmias typically need immediate intervention and include

A

ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and asystole.

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20
Q

Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach) is a regular, fast rhythm characterized by what

A

large, irregular, wide QRS complexes on the EKG.

  • P waves are absent, not visible, or occur randomly throughout the tracing
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21
Q

What is Ventricular fibrillation

A

ventricles twitch or quiver, not pumping blood to the rest of the body

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22
Q

What happens to the pulse of a pt if they have a ventricular fibrillation

A
  • no pulse, as the ventricles cannot pump any blood,
  • patients typically become unconscious within seconds.
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23
Q

What is asystole

A

he complete absence of any waves on the EKG tracing

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24
Q

Somatic tremor

A

characterized by irregular spikes throughout the tracing and is related to muscle movement.

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25
Q

shivering can occur when the patient is cold, causing an irregular tracin. This is an example of what

A

somatic tremor

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26
Q

Medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease can result in

A

somatic tremors

  • have them lay their hands palms-down under their buttocks to reduce somatic interference.
27
Q

How to decrease somatic tremors

A

by decreasing patient anxiety and providing warmth and comfort as needed.

28
Q

AC interference, or 60-cycle interference

A
  • characterized by regular spikes in the EKG tracing
  • related to poor grounding or external electricity interfering with the tracing
29
Q

What are some electrical equipments that can cause an AC interference

A

lights, computers, and other items plugged into wall sockets

30
Q

How to avoid an AC interference

A

Ensure proper grounding of the machine by using a three-prong plug, avoiding crossed lead wires, moving the bed away from the wall, and turning off unnecessary electronic devices.

31
Q

A wandering baseline results from what

A

movement associated with breathing or poor electrode connection

32
Q

What will happen to the baseline during a wanering baseline result

A

The baseline will wander away from the center of the paper, causing difficulty in tracing interpretation

33
Q

How will a EKG tracing appear In an interrupted baseline

A

a flat, horizontal line will print on the EKG tracing

34
Q

How to avoid an artifact

A
  • Turn off all electronic devices, such as cell phones, and remove them from the patient
  • Poor-quality or expired electrodes or gel
35
Q

Electrodes are placed on 10 areas of the body to record heart activity from ___angles and planes

A

12

36
Q

Each small horizontal square represents ___ seconds

A

0.04

37
Q

What is the usual speed and amplitude of an EKG machine

A
  • s: 25 mm/second.
  • amplitude is 10 mm or 1 mv.
38
Q

What is the time period captured by one large square containing five small boxes on the EKG?

A

0.20 seconds

39
Q

Leads I, II, and III are bipolar and record impulses that travel from where

A

a negative to a positive pole at specific positions in the heart

40
Q

Lead I records impulses between what

A

right and left arms

41
Q

Lead II records impulses between

A

the right arm and left leg

42
Q

Lead III records impulses between

A

the left arm and left leg.

43
Q

In aVL, the left leg and right arm assist with

A

the left arm tracing

44
Q

In aVR, the left arm and left leg assist with

A

the right arm tracing

45
Q

In aVF, the right and left arms assist with

A

with the left leg tracing.

46
Q

White wire

A

right arm

47
Q

black wire

A

left arm

48
Q

red wire

A

left leg

49
Q

green wire

A

right leg

50
Q

V1 wire colour and area of placement

A

red; right side of the sternum at the fourth intercostal space

51
Q

v2 wire colour and placement

A

yellow; left side of the sternum, directly across from V1 at the fourth intercostal space

52
Q

v3 wire colour and placement

A

green; left side of the chest, midway between V2 and V4*

53
Q

v4 wire colour and placement

A

blue; left side of the chest, fifth intercostal space, midclavicular line

54
Q

v5 wire colour and placement

A

orange; left side of the chest, fifth intercostal space, anterior axillary line

55
Q

v6 wire colour and placement

A

purple; left side of the chest, fifth intercostal space, midaxillary line

56
Q

V4 is placed before which wire

A

V3

57
Q

A medical assistant is placing electrodes for an EKG on a patient’s left upper arm due to a left below-the-elbow amputation. Where should the MA place the right arm lead?

A

Right upper arm

58
Q

After the EKG has been recorded, you must check the printout to ensure what

A
  • Make sure the standardization mark is 10 mm high.
  • Check the direction of the R wave in lead I. The R wave on lead I should have a positive deflection. If it has a negative deflection, the limb leads are not attached correctly. Reattach leads and run the EKG again.
  • Observe and check for artifacts.
59
Q

Proper positioning of the electrocardiograph machine reduces which artifacts.

A

60-cycle interference artifacts.

60
Q

The calibration box should measure ___mm tall by __ mm wide at the standard setting.

A

10
5

61
Q

What is thallium

A

a dye that provides additional information on blood flow within the heart

62
Q

Holter monitor

A

A portable device for cardiac monitoring that is worn for 24 hours-72 hours.

63
Q

When should Patients press the “event” button on the holter monitor

A

if they experience any cardiac symptoms (such as palpitations) or neurological symptoms (such as syncope) and record a description of the activity surrounding the symptoms.

Medical Assistant (15 decks)

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