CET CET Patient Preparation & Safety 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary reason for instructing a patient to remain still during an ECG recording?
- To reduce patient anxiety
- To prevent motion artifact from contaminating the tracing (Correct answer)
- To allow the technician to place leads more accurately
- To conserve battery power in portable ECG machines
Correct answer: To prevent motion artifact from contaminating the tracing
Patient movement creates skeletal muscle artifact that can mimic or obscure cardiac rhythms on the tracing.
Question 2: Before applying ECG electrodes, what skin preparation step most directly improves signal quality?
- Apply a thick layer of lotion to the skin
- Leave the skin untouched to avoid discomfort
- Clean and dry the skin, removing excess hair if necessary (Correct answer)
- Apply ice to cool the skin before electrode placement
Correct answer: Clean and dry the skin, removing excess hair if necessary
Proper skin preparation reduces impedance and improves electrode contact, resulting in a cleaner tracing.
Question 3: What is the standard patient position for a resting 12-lead ECG?
- Sitting upright at 90 degrees
- Standing with arms relaxed at the sides
- Supine (lying flat) with arms at the sides (Correct answer)
- Left lateral decubent with knees bent
Correct answer: Supine (lying flat) with arms at the sides
The supine position standardizes the ECG recording and eliminates positional variation in waveform morphology.
Question 4: Which statement best describes informed consent requirements for a routine ECG?
- A signed surgical consent form is required before every ECG
- The patient should be informed of the procedure and its non-invasive nature (Correct answer)
- Consent is not needed because ECG poses zero risk
- Only verbal consent from a family member is acceptable
Correct answer: The patient should be informed of the procedure and its non-invasive nature
Patients should understand what the procedure involves even though ECG is non-invasive and carries minimal risk.
Question 5: What is the correct action if a patient reports an adhesive allergy during ECG preparation?
- Proceed as normal since ECG electrodes contain no latex or adhesive
- Substitute hypoallergenic or non-adhesive electrodes to complete the test (Correct answer)
- Cancel the procedure entirely and reschedule
- Apply standard electrodes directly over the patient's clothing
Correct answer: Substitute hypoallergenic or non-adhesive electrodes to complete the test
Hypoallergenic electrodes can be substituted to safely complete the ECG for patients with adhesive allergies.
Question 6: Which safety precaution is essential when performing an ECG on a patient with an implanted pacemaker?
- Disable the pacemaker temporarily before recording
- Document the presence of the pacemaker and note it on the ECG requisition (Correct answer)
- Use twice the standard voltage gain setting on the machine
- Skip precordial leads to avoid interference with the device
Correct answer: Document the presence of the pacemaker and note it on the ECG requisition
Documenting the device ensures the interpreting physician accounts for pacemaker spikes and altered waveform morphology.
CET CET Patient Preparation & Safety 1
What is the primary reason for instructing a patient to remain still during an ECG recording?