CVT Holter & Ambulatory Monitoring 2

Question 1

A patient returns a Holter monitor with significant baseline wander throughout the recording. What is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Loose or poorly prepared electrode sites

Answer

Baseline wander is most commonly caused by poor electrode-skin contact due to inadequate skin preparation or loose electrodes.

Question 2

During Holter analysis, you identify a pause of 2.8 seconds occurring at night during sleep. What is the most appropriate next step?

Accepted Answer

Flag as a critical finding requiring immediate physician notification

Answer

Pauses greater than 2.5 seconds are clinically significant and should be flagged for physician review regardless of when they occur.

Question 3

Which Holter lead configuration is considered most useful for detecting ST-segment changes associated with ischemia?

Accepted Answer

CM5 and CC5

Answer

CM5 monitors the lateral wall and CC5 monitors the inferior-lateral wall, providing the best sensitivity for ischemic ST changes in ambulatory monitoring.

Question 4

A 24-hour Holter recording shows 12,000 premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). How should this finding be expressed in the report?

Accepted Answer

As both total count and percentage of total beats

Answer

PVC burden is most completely expressed as total count and percentage of total beats, which gives the physician the clearest picture of ectopic burden.

Question 5

When applying Holter electrodes to a patient with extremely diaphoretic skin, which preparation technique is MOST important?

Accepted Answer

Thorough drying and antiperspirant application before electrode placement

Answer

Drying the skin thoroughly and applying antiperspirant helps reduce sweating that causes electrode lift and signal loss.

(CVT) Cardiovascular Technologist Certification Practice Test

(CVT) Cardiovascular Technologist Certification Practice Test

CVT Holter & Ambulatory Monitoring 2