CET Practice Questions

when should the assistant reduce the speed to 50mm/ second?

when a patient has a fast heart rate

when are 10mm/ second and 5mm/second used?

for patients that have slow heart rates

During a 5-lead EKG, lead 2 and 3 are not yielding a reading, what limbs should the technician check?

left leg

what describes a pulse oximetry of 88%

hypoxemia

a thin spike before the P wave indicates that a pacemaker has been implanted to pace what?

atria

which locations is used for a patient's apical pulse?

between the fifth and sixth ribs, at the left midclavicular line

if having trouble visualizing the patients chest movement, what actions should the technician take to obtain an accurate respiratory rate for the patient?

place a hand on the middle of the patients back to count the respirations

what intervals should be used to determine the regularity of ventricular depolarization?

R-R wave interval

when placing electrodes on the patients for telemetry, what locations should an EKG technician place the ground electrode?

on the right lower leg

what findings should indicate to the technician that the patient is experiencing an adverse reaction?

report of tingling sensations in the lower extremities

an EKG technician notices an accelerated idioventricular rhythm on a tracing, what actions should the technician take next?

call for help and stay with the patient

an EKG technician observes ST segment depression and T wave inversion in multiple leads on a patient's EKG, what should the technician suspect?

myocardial ischemia

an EKG technician is working with a patient who has a below-the-knee amputation of the left leg, what location should the technician place the right leg electrode?

on the lower right abdomen

an EKG technician is preparing to perform a 12-lead EKG for a patient who has dextrocardia, what location should the technician place the electrode for lead V1?

left sternal border, fourth intercostal space

when evaluating a standard 12-lead EKG tracing, what electrical activity of the septal wall is recorded by what leads?

leads V1 and V2

an EKG technician is caring for a patient who is experiencing heart palpitations, what interventions should the technician expect the provider to prescribe?

holter monitor

what is the most accurate for an EKG technician to sue when measuring a patient's body temperature?

temporal

an EKG technician is performing a posterior 12-lead EKG for patient, what leads should the technician place along the paraspinous border?

lead V9

after completing a standard 12-lead EKG on a patient, what action should the technician take next?

check that the machine is free from artifacts and then disconnect the patient from the machine

an EKG technician should recognize that what signs are often present when a patient is experiencing ventricular tachycardia?

multiple premature ventricular contractions in a row

when preparing a patient for an exercise test, what leads should the technician place on the right lower side of the anterior torso?

lead RL

what lead is created between the left arm and left leg?

lead 3

what lead is created between the left arm and the right arm plus the left leg?

lead aVL

what lead is created between the left leg and the right arm plus the left arm

lead aVF

what lead does the right arm and the left arm form?

lead 1

the technician notes that the QRS complex is too tall to fit on the EKG paper, what action should the technician take?

change the gain contril to 5mm/ mV

an technician should recognize that a rhythm strip should be at least how many seconds long to accurately identify rate and rhythm?

6 seconds

when an EKG technician is obtaining a pulse from a patient, what term should the technician use to document the rhythm of the pulse?

irregular

a technician notes that a patient is experiencing a variation in respirations that correlates with the EKG tracing, what irregularities does this indicate?

sinus dysrhythmia

for a standard 12-lead EKG, what is the correct placement of lead V4?

the fifth intercostal space at the midclavicular line

in an healthy adult patient, what is the expected shape and direction of the P wave in lead 2?

rounded and upright

what method should an EKG technician use to calculate a patient's heart rate from the EKG tracing?

divide 300 by the number of large boxes between two R waves

when instructing a patient about a transtelephonic event monitor using a heart card monitoring device, what sites should the patient apply the card to activate it during an event?

over the middle to lower part of the sternum

what EKG machine functions should an EKG technician use to control and regulate the height of EKG waveforms on the tracing?

gain

what positon is appropriate for a patient during a nuclear stress test while the camera is scanning?

supine with the arms above the head

when preparing a standard 12-lead EKG for a patient who is at 35 weeks of gestation, what position should the technician place the patient?

slightly on the left side with a pillow supporting the right hip

if the technician notes that none of the leads are giving a reading, what limbs should the technician check first?

right leg

the presence of what on an EKG tracing can indicate a previous myocardial infarction?

pathologic Q waves

what site is the most appropriate for an EKG technician to use when taking the pulse of an infant?

brachial artery

what is social history?

a patient's lifestlye, living situation alcohol use, nicotine use, and exercise habits

when reviewing the EKG tracing of a patient who has ventricular hypertrophy, what findings should the technician expect?

increased amplitude of the QRS complex

what locations should an EKG technician place the electrodes for leads V7, V8, and V9?

evenly spaced on the back between the axillary line and the vertebral column at the fifth intercostal space

while performing a stress test on a patient,elevated ST segments are observed, what are these findings identified as?

signs of acute myocardial injury

what describes an EKG technician writing defamatory comments in a patient's chart?

libel

what type of heart block should an EKG technician observe the patient for signs and symptoms of decreased cardiac output that could lead to cardiac arrest?

third-degree AV block

what is an expected finding of impaired conduction through the AV node?

prolonged PR interval

what rhythm pattern should the technician expect after a pacing spike for a patient who has ventricular pacemaker?

wide QRS interval

what explains a wandering baseline?

the tracing moves up and down

what indicates an interrupted baseline?

lead corrosion or dirty leads

in the third-degree AV block, what should the technician watch the patient for?

signs and symptoms of decreased cardiac output

when should the technician use the 300 method?

when calculating a full cardiac cycle

what location is used for an apical pulse?

between the fifth and sixth ribs, at the left midclavicular line

what actions should the technician perform before an exercise stress test?

measure BP and obtain an EKG while the patient is supine, sitting, and standing up

what findings is consistent with bradycardia?

cold and clammy skin

when applying a holter monitor, how many leads are placed on the patient?

5

what signs are often present when a patient is experiencing ventricular tachycardia?

multiple premature ventricular contractions in a row

what is the appropriate position for a patient during a nuclear stress test while the camera is scanning?

supine with arms above the head

for a standard 12-lead EKG, what three leads should the technician place at the same horizontal level?

leads, V4, V5, V6

what findings indicated myocardial infarction?

cyanosis

what leads are created between the left arm and left leg?

lead 3

what factors can produce an artifact that appears as uniform, small spikes on an EKG tracing?

improper grounding, crossed lead wires, and electrical interference

a patient reports heaviness on his chest and becomes diaphoretic, what manifestations are the following?

myocardial infarction

what is the expected pulse rate range for a child who is 1 to 2 years of age

120/min

what is the correct location for placement of lead V8?

left midscapular line

what percentage of their target heart rate can be stress test be stopped?

85%-100%

how long do sinus arrests last?

6 seconds

what is the heart rate of a patient who is experiencing accelerated junctional rhythm

60 to 100/min

what wave should an EKG technician use to determine the regularity of the ventricular rate?

R wave

when measuring the intervals on an EKG tracing, what is an expected finding of impaired conduction through the AV node?

prolonged PR interval

what is the characteristics of the EKG tracing for a patient who has atrial fibrillation?

R-R interval is irregularly irregular

what describes a complete cardiac cycle?

P wave, QRS complex, and T wave

an EKG technician is performing an exercise stress test to evaluate a patient for coronary vascular disease, what action should the technician take when regarding this procedure?

report unexpected dysrhythmias during the test

what is the cause for discontinuing a stress test?

ST segment elevation

what methods can be used to calculate both regular and irregular rhythms?

6 second method

what is the P wave a result of?

atrial depolarization

what lead should the technician place along the paraspinous border?

lead V9

what lead should the technician place on the right lower side of the anterior torso?

lead RL

what is the expected reference range for the respiratory rate of a newborn patient?

30 to 49/min