Certified EkG technician (CET) Practice Exam

When should the EKG technician reduce the speed to 50mm/second?

1. When a patient has a fast heart rate

2. When the patient is at rest

3. When interpreting a Holter monitor

4. When there is muscle artifact present

The correct answer is: When a patient has a fast heart rate

The correct answer highlights the significance of adjusting the EKG machine's settings based on the heart rate. When a patient has a fast heart rate, which is typically defined as a rate above 100 beats per minute, reducing the speed to 50 mm/second helps in recording the EKG more clearly. This slower speed allows for a more detailed representation of the rapid heartbeats, making it easier for the healthcare provider to analyze the rhythm and any potential abnormalities present in the EKG printout. In contrast, maintaining a standard speed of 25 mm/second is more appropriate for patients with normal or slower heart rates since it provides a balanced view of the heart's electrical activity without crowding the EKG tracing. Adjusting the speed to a higher rate for slower heart rates would lead to inadequate visualization of the waveforms, whereas a fast heart rate necessitates a slower speed to avoid a compressed and difficult-to-read tracing. In situations such as when interpreting a Holter monitor, it's more about the extended recording time rather than needing to alter the speed based on heart rate alone. The presence of muscle artifact changes how one might approach the EKG, but it wouldn't necessarily dictate a speed reduction to 50 mm/second.