ECG ECG Patient Monitoring and Safety 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of continuous cardiac monitoring in a hospital setting?
- Early detection of life-threatening arrhythmias (Correct answer)
- Measuring blood oxygen levels
- Monitoring respiratory rate
- Tracking blood pressure trends
Correct answer: Early detection of life-threatening arrhythmias
Continuous cardiac monitoring is used to detect dangerous arrhythmias early so that timely intervention can be initiated.
Question 2: Which organization provides guidelines for in-hospital cardiac monitoring practice in the US?
- American Heart Association (AHA) (Correct answer)
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Joint Commission (TJC)
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Correct answer: American Heart Association (AHA)
The AHA publishes evidence-based practice standards for in-hospital cardiac monitoring.
Question 3: A patient's ECG alarm is alarming frequently with no clinical change — what is this called?
- Alarm fatigue (Correct answer)
- False positive monitoring
- Threshold desensitization
- Artifact interference
Correct answer: Alarm fatigue
Alarm fatigue occurs when frequent non-actionable alarms cause staff to become desensitized, posing a patient safety risk.
Question 4: What ECG finding in a monitored patient should prompt the nurse to call a rapid response immediately?
- Sustained ventricular tachycardia with a heart rate of 180 bpm (Correct answer)
- Sinus bradycardia at 58 bpm with no symptoms
- PACs with a compensatory pause
- First-degree AV block
Correct answer: Sustained ventricular tachycardia with a heart rate of 180 bpm
Sustained ventricular tachycardia is a life-threatening arrhythmia requiring immediate clinical assessment and intervention.
Question 5: Which AAMI/IEC standard governs ECG electrode performance requirements in the US?
- AAMI EC12 (Correct answer)
- IEC 60601-1
- ANSI/AAMI ES60601
- ISO 13485
Correct answer: AAMI EC12
AAMI EC12 is the US standard specifying performance requirements for disposable ECG electrodes.
Question 6: What is the safe current limit to prevent microshock injury in a patient with an intracardiac catheter?
- 10 microamperes (10 µA) (Correct answer)
- 1 milliampere (1 mA)
- 100 milliamperes (100 mA)
- 50 microamperes (50 µA)
Correct answer: 10 microamperes (10 µA)
Patients with direct cardiac connections (e.g., pacemaker leads) are at risk of microshock; the safe limit is 10 µA.
ECG ECG Patient Monitoring and Safety 1
What is the primary purpose of continuous cardiac monitoring in a hospital setting?