ECG Equipment Operation & Maintenance Flashcards
7 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 7 ECG Equipment Operation & Maintenance flashcards as text
An ECG technician is performing a routine equipment check and finds the stylus is producing a faint, uneven trace. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: The stylus pressure or temperature is incorrect
A faint or uneven trace from the stylus typically indicates incorrect stylus pressure or temperature setting on a thermal writing system.
V4 electrode is placed at which anatomical landmark?
Answer: Fifth intercostal space, left midclavicular line
V4 is placed at the fifth intercostal space at the left midclavicular line, an important anchor point for positioning V3, V5, and V6.
When performing ECG machine maintenance, how frequently should preventive maintenance (PM) typically be scheduled according to manufacturer and accreditation standards?
Answer: Annually by a biomedical engineer, with operator checks each use
Accreditation standards require annual biomedical engineering PM for ECG machines, while operators perform visual and functional checks before each patient use.
A patient is obese and the technician cannot palpate intercostal spaces easily for V3-V6 placement. What is the best approach?
Answer: Use anatomical landmarks (midclavicular, anterior axillary, midaxillary lines) and estimated ICS position, documenting the approach
Using available anatomical landmarks and documenting any deviation from standard placement maintains consistency and allows the interpreting physician to account for potential differences.
Which component of the ECG machine converts the analog electrical signal from the patient into a digital format?
Answer: Analog-to-digital converter (ADC)
The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) samples the continuous analog signal at a high rate and converts it to digital data for processing, storage, and display.
What is the significance of the 'sensitivity' or 'gain' setting labeled '5 mm/mV' on an ECG machine?
Answer: It halves the standard tracing size, used when tall voltages would run off the paper
Half-standard (5 mm/mV) reduces the tracing amplitude by 50%, useful for patients with very high voltages (e.g., left ventricular hypertrophy) to keep waveforms on the paper.
A technician notices the ECG paper is loading incorrectly and the tracing appears on the back (blank side) of the paper. What should they do?
Answer: Reload the paper so the thermal-sensitive side faces the stylus
Thermal ECG paper only marks on the heat-sensitive coated side; loading it reversed means the stylus contacts the non-reactive backing, producing a blank or very faint tracing.