Practice Test Geeks(CVT) Cardiovascular Technologist Certification Practice Test
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Holter & Ambulatory Monitoring Flashcards

7 cards from real CVT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Holter & Ambulatory Monitoring flashcards as text

  1. A Holter technician notices a sudden change in heart rate from 72 bpm to 150 bpm with a narrow QRS that begins and ends abruptly. This pattern is MOST consistent with:

    Answer: Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT)

    PSVT characteristically has a sudden onset and termination (paroxysmal) with a narrow QRS, distinguishing it from the gradual warm-up of sinus tachycardia.

  2. In ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), what is the term for the normal nighttime reduction in blood pressure?

    Answer: Nocturnal dipping

    Nocturnal dipping refers to the physiologic 10-20% reduction in blood pressure during sleep; absent dipping is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

  3. A patient with a pacemaker undergoes Holter monitoring. What unique consideration applies when scanning this recording?

    Answer: Pacemaker spikes must be identified and paced beats analyzed separately from intrinsic beats

    In pacemaker patients, Holter analysis must distinguish pacemaker spikes, evaluate pacing capture, and assess sensing function separately from intrinsic rhythm.

  4. What does 'QTc prolongation' on ambulatory monitoring indicate, and why is it clinically important?

    Answer: Rate-corrected QT interval >450 ms in men or >470 ms in women, associated with risk of torsades de pointes

    Prolonged QTc indicates delayed ventricular repolarization, which predisposes to torsades de pointes, a potentially fatal polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

  5. During Holter editing, you identify a strip where all P waves are present but each PR interval is progressively longer until one P wave is not conducted. This represents:

    Answer: Mobitz Type I (Wenckebach) second-degree AV block

    Progressive PR prolongation followed by a non-conducted P wave is the hallmark of Wenckebach periodicity, also called Mobitz Type I second-degree AV block.

  6. A patient's Holter report shows 'frequent multifocal PVCs.' What does 'multifocal' mean in this context?

    Answer: PVCs with varying QRS morphologies originating from different ventricular sites

    Multifocal PVCs have different QRS morphologies because they originate from multiple different ectopic foci in the ventricles.

  7. Which parameter from Holter monitoring is used to assess autonomic nervous system function and has prognostic value in post-MI patients?

    Answer: Heart rate variability (HRV)

    Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic modulation of the heart; reduced HRV after MI is an independent predictor of mortality.