CET Patient Preparation & Safety Flashcards
6 cards from real CET practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CET Patient Preparation & Safety flashcards as text
What is the primary reason for instructing a patient to remain still during an ECG recording?
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.
Before applying ECG electrodes, what skin preparation step most directly improves signal quality?
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.
What is the standard patient position for a resting 12-lead ECG?
Answer: Supine (lying flat) with arms at the sides
The supine position standardizes the ECG recording and eliminates positional variation in waveform morphology.
Which statement best describes informed consent requirements for a routine ECG?
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.
What is the correct action if a patient reports an adhesive allergy during ECG preparation?
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.
Which safety precaution is essential when performing an ECG on a patient with an implanted pacemaker?
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.