ECC Technology & Digital Tools 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which feature of modern AEDs provides real-time feedback to rescuers during CPR?
- Automated shock delivery without pause
- Impedance-based chest compression depth and rate monitoring (Correct answer)
- Continuous 12-lead ECG recording
- Automatic airway management guidance
Correct answer: Impedance-based chest compression depth and rate monitoring
Modern AEDs use transthoracic impedance sensing to detect chest compressions and provide real-time audio/visual feedback on depth and rate.
Question 2: End-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) monitoring during cardiac arrest is MOST useful for:
- Measuring blood oxygen saturation
- Confirming correct tracheal tube placement and assessing CPR quality (Correct answer)
- Determining the need for defibrillation
- Calculating drug dosage requirements
Correct answer: Confirming correct tracheal tube placement and assessing CPR quality
ETCO2 confirms endotracheal tube placement and reflects cardiac output during CPR; a sudden rise often indicates return of spontaneous circulation.
Question 3: A mechanical CPR device such as the LUCAS or AutoPulse is MOST appropriate in which scenario?
- Pediatric cardiac arrest in the emergency department
- Prolonged resuscitation during patient transport or cardiac catheterization (Correct answer)
- Initial resuscitation of a witnessed arrest in the community
- When a 12-lead ECG is unavailable
Correct answer: Prolonged resuscitation during patient transport or cardiac catheterization
Mechanical CPR devices deliver consistent compressions when sustained high-quality manual CPR is impractical, such as during transport or in the cath lab.
Question 4: When using a defibrillator's synchronize mode for cardioversion, the shock is timed to which part of the cardiac cycle?
- P wave
- PR interval
- R wave (Correct answer)
- T wave
Correct answer: R wave
Synchronized cardioversion delivers the shock on the R wave to avoid the vulnerable T-wave period, which could induce ventricular fibrillation.
Question 5: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) during cardiac arrest can identify all of the following EXCEPT:
- Cardiac tamponade
- Ventricular fibrillation on the monitor (Correct answer)
- Tension pneumothorax
- True pulseless electrical activity with no cardiac motion
Correct answer: Ventricular fibrillation on the monitor
VF is diagnosed on the cardiac monitor/ECG, not by ultrasound; POCUS identifies reversible causes and confirms true PEA (no wall motion).
Question 6: A 12-lead ECG acquired via a smartphone-connected device in the field is transmitted to the hospital. This technology PRIMARILY improves outcomes by:
- Replacing the need for a 12-lead in the emergency department
- Activating the cath lab before hospital arrival, reducing door-to-balloon time (Correct answer)
- Automatically administering thrombolytics if STEMI criteria are met
- Providing real-time CPR depth feedback to paramedics
Correct answer: Activating the cath lab before hospital arrival, reducing door-to-balloon time
Pre-hospital 12-lead ECG transmission enables cath lab activation before patient arrival, significantly reducing door-to-balloon time in STEMI.
Question 7: During a code, which digital tool is MOST helpful for ensuring accurate medication dosing and timing documentation?
- Bedside telemetry monitor
- Resuscitation data recorder / code documentation tablet (Correct answer)
- Portable pulse oximeter
- Automated external defibrillator memory log
Correct answer: Resuscitation data recorder / code documentation tablet
Dedicated code documentation tablets or resuscitation data recorders timestamp interventions and drug administration in real time, reducing errors in high-stress situations.
ECC Technology & Digital Tools 2
Which feature of modern AEDs provides real-time feedback to rescuers during CPR?