Safety and patient care
- Protect PHI; hand hygiene; stay in scope — techs don't diagnose
- Stress test prep: no caffeine, light meal per protocol, comfortable shoes
- Holter: keep a diary, don't get it wet, normal activities
Acquisition
- V1 4th ICS right sternal border; V2 4th ICS left; V4 5th ICS midclavicular
- V3 between V2 and V4; V5 anterior axillary; V6 midaxillary at V4 level
- 10 electrodes, 12 leads; 25 mm/s and 10 mm/mV standard
Artifacts
- Somatic tremor: patient movement/shivering
- Wandering baseline: breathing, poor contact, lotion
- AC interference: electrical devices, regular 60-cycle spikes
Analysis
- Small box 0.04 s, large box 0.20 s; HR = 300 ÷ large boxes
- PR 0.12–0.20 s; QRS < 0.12 s; ST elevation suggests injury
- VF or pulseless VT: call for help, start CPR, AED
Test yourself on CET
Reading a summary is the easy part. Take the free 10-question diagnostic to see which of these domains you actually have, then drill the rest.