Monitoring Techniques and Equipment Flashcards
7 cards from real CMT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Monitoring Techniques and Equipment flashcards as text
Which monitoring lead combination provides the best detection of both atrial activity and ventricular ectopy?
Answer: Lead II and Lead V1 (or MCL1)
Lead II provides excellent P-wave visibility for atrial analysis, while V1/MCL1 helps distinguish right versus left bundle branch patterns and identify ventricular ectopy.
A patient on telemetry walks into an elevator. What is the expected effect on the telemetry signal?
Answer: Signal may be lost or severely degraded due to shielding by metal structure
Metal structures such as elevator shafts act as Faraday cages, blocking or severely attenuating the radiofrequency telemetry signal.
The QRS detection threshold on a cardiac monitor is set too high. What problem will most likely occur?
Answer: Small or low-amplitude QRS complexes will be missed, causing falsely low heart rate readings
An overly high detection threshold means low-amplitude QRS complexes won't be recognized, causing the monitor to undercount beats and display falsely low rates.
Which of the following best describes the function of a cardiac event monitor (loop recorder)?
Answer: Continuously loops and saves rhythm data, retaining information before and after a triggered event
A loop recorder continuously records in a short loop, saving rhythm data from before and after patient activation, capturing arrhythmias that may precede symptom onset.
When checking a cardiac monitor for accuracy, the technician notices the heart rate displayed is twice the actual ventricular rate. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: The monitor is double-counting T-waves or P-waves as QRS complexes
Double-counting occurs when the monitor's sensitivity threshold detects tall T-waves or P-waves in addition to QRS complexes, resulting in a displayed rate twice the actual rate.
What is the primary reason pre-gelled electrodes have a defined expiration date?
Answer: The conductive gel dries out, increasing skin-electrode impedance and degrading signal quality
The conductive gel in pre-gelled electrodes dries out after the expiration date, significantly increasing impedance and reducing signal quality.
A monitor technician observes that a patient's QRS complexes have alternating tall and short amplitudes (electrical alternans). This finding is most associated with:
Answer: Pericardial effusion or cardiac tamponade
Electrical alternans — alternating QRS amplitude — is a classic ECG sign of large pericardial effusion or cardiac tamponade due to the heart swinging within the fluid-filled pericardial sac.