Your FREE CET Flashcards 2026 – 100+ Cards

Certified EKG Technician — the NHA credential awarded for passing the CET exam, certifying the technician who acquires, troubleshoots, and recognizes electrocardiograms.

National Healthcareer Association — the certifying body that develops and awards the Certified EKG Technician (CET) credential.

Acquiring and recognizing EKGs — preparing the patient, placing electrodes, running the machine, and reporting findings; never diagnosing, interpreting for the patient, or treating.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — the federal law protecting patients' protected health information (PHI).

Any individually identifiable health information a covered entity holds or transmits — electronic, paper, or spoken — including names, dates, and EKG results.

The HIPAA principle that you share only the protected health information actually needed for a given task.

A health-care provider, health plan, or clearinghouse bound by HIPAA to protect patient information.

The professional standards NHA-certified technicians follow — confidentiality, integrity, respect, and staying within scope of practice.

Treating every patient's blood and body fluids as potentially infectious — hand hygiene, gloves/PPE, safe sharps handling, and equipment disinfection.

Hand washing or sanitizing — the single most effective measure for preventing the spread of infection between patients.

29 CFR 1910.1030 — the OSHA rule protecting workers from exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials, requiring PPE and an exposure-control plan.

Gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection worn to create a barrier against infectious materials.

Wash the area with soap and water and immediately report the exposure so post-exposure evaluation can begin.

An immunization offered to health-care workers under the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to protect against hepatitis B exposure.

Cleaning lead wires that contact a patient's skin between patients, per facility policy, as a standard-precaution measure.

Using two unique identifiers (e.g., name and date of birth) to confirm the right patient before testing — preventing wrong-patient tracings.

Electronic medical / health record — the digital chart where the technician documents patient history, medications, vitals, and the completed EKG.

Temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation — measured and recognized as normal or abnormal across the lifespan.

Signs of failing heart or lung function — syncope, chest pain, shortness of breath, or abnormal vitals — that the technician recognizes and escalates.

A transient loss of consciousness (fainting), a sign of possible cardiopulmonary compromise during cardiac testing.

Foundational emergency care — recognizing arrest, calling for help, CPR, and using an AED — that an EKG technician is expected to know.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation — chest compressions and rescue breaths to maintain circulation during cardiac arrest.

Assisting and watching the patient during an exercise EKG for adverse reactions — chest pain, shortness of breath, abnormal vitals — and supporting the response.

Factors such as culture, language, religion, developmental level, gender, and disability that the technician adapts to when communicating with patients.

The physicians, nurses, and other professionals the EKG technician coordinates with to deliver patient care.

When asked 'Is something wrong with my heart?', reassure that the physician will review the tracing — never offer a diagnosis.

Using properly grounded, intact equipment and inspecting cords to protect both patient and technician from electrical hazards.

A recording of the heart's electrical activity over time, displayed as the P-QRS-T waveform.

An adhesive sensor placed on the skin that detects the heart's electrical signals; ten are used for a standard 12-lead EKG.

A specific view of the heart's electrical activity calculated from electrode signals; a standard EKG has 12 leads (views), not 12 electrodes.

The standard resting EKG that records 12 views of the heart using 10 electrodes — 4 limb and 6 precordial chest electrodes.

The four electrodes placed on the arms and legs (RA, LA, RL, LL) that create the limb leads.

The six chest leads V1–V6 that view the heart in the horizontal plane.

Fourth intercostal space at the right sternal border.

Fourth intercostal space at the left sternal border.

Midway between V2 and V4.

Fifth intercostal space at the left midclavicular line.

Same horizontal level as V4, at the anterior axillary line.

Same horizontal level as V4 and V5, at the midaxillary line.

The gap between two ribs, used as the anatomical landmark for placing the precordial chest electrodes.

Place V1 and V2 at the 4th intercostal space first, then V4, then fill in V3, V5, and V6 by landmark.

On the fleshy parts of the lower arms/wrists and lower legs, avoiding bony prominences for a clean signal.

Cleaning, drying, and lightly abrading electrode sites — removing oil, lotion, sweat, and dead skin — to ensure good electrode contact.

The rate the EKG paper runs; the standard is 25 mm per second, making each small box 0.04 second.

The EKG's amplitude setting; at standard gain a 1-millivolt signal produces a 10-millimeter deflection.

The rectangular calibration pulse at the start of a tracing, normally 10 mm tall, confirming that 1 mV equals 10 mm.

At 25 mm/s, a small box is 0.04 second wide; vertically it represents 0.1 mV.

Five small boxes — 0.20 second wide at 25 mm/s; used in the 300 method for heart rate.

The sinoatrial node — the heart's natural pacemaker in the right atrium, normally firing 60–100 times per minute.

The atrioventricular node, which delays the impulse so the atria empty before the ventricles contract; backup rate 40–60/min.

The fibers carrying the impulse from the AV node into the interventricular septum, where it splits into the bundle branches.

The right and left branches that conduct the impulse down each side of the septum toward the ventricular walls.

The terminal conduction fibers that spread the impulse rapidly through the ventricular muscle, producing the QRS complex.

SA node → AV node → bundle of His → bundle branches → Purkinje fibers — the route of each electrical impulse through the heart.

SA node 60–100/min, AV node 40–60/min, Purkinje fibers 20–40/min — slower backups if the site above fails.

The electrical activation of cardiac muscle that causes contraction; produces the P wave (atria) and QRS complex (ventricles).

The electrical recovery of cardiac muscle after contraction; produces the T wave (ventricles).

Any unwanted signal on the tracing that is not from the heart — wandering baseline, somatic tremor, or AC interference.

A slow up-and-down drift of the tracing caused by movement, breathing, or loose/dried electrodes.

Erratic, jagged spikes on the tracing caused by patient muscle movement, shivering, or tension.

Uniform thick fuzz on the tracing from nearby electrical equipment or crossed lead wires — an AC interference artifact.

Unplug or move nearby electrical equipment, separate and uncross the lead wires, and confirm proper grounding.

Re-prep the skin, re-secure or replace loose/dried electrodes, and ask the patient to lie still and breathe normally.

Warm and relax the patient, support the limbs on a flat surface, and reassure them to reduce muscle tension.

A portable EKG worn 24–48 hours (or longer) that continuously records the rhythm during daily activity to catch intermittent arrhythmias.

An ambulatory monitor the patient activates when symptoms occur, recording the EKG around that event.

An exercise EKG recorded while the patient walks on a treadmill or pedals a bicycle to assess the heart under exertion.

Continuous wireless EKG monitoring of an admitted patient, with the rhythm displayed at a central station.

A percentage of the age-predicted maximum heart rate (220 minus age) used to guide exercise stress testing.

A modified placement (e.g., V4R) used to assess the right ventricle when a right-sided infarct is suspected.

Adapting electrode placement for amputees, late-term pregnancy, respiratory issues, or pediatric patients while preserving accuracy.

An electrode placement error (e.g., swapping arm electrodes) that produces a falsely abnormal tracing and must be corrected and re-run.

Confirming that all 12 leads recorded, the calibration mark is present, and the waveforms are clearly readable before documenting.

Placing the completed rhythm strip in the patient's chart or record so the provider can review it.

The first waveform — atrial depolarization (the atria contracting); normally upright in lead II.

The tall, narrow deflection representing ventricular depolarization; normally less than 0.12 second wide.

The rounded wave representing ventricular repolarization (the ventricles recovering).

The time from the start of the P wave to the start of the QRS, normally 0.12–0.20 second; reflects AV conduction.

The width of the QRS complex; normally under 0.12 second. A wide QRS suggests abnormal ventricular conduction.

The time from the start of the QRS to the end of the T wave; a prolonged QT raises arrhythmia risk.

The flat line between the QRS and the T wave; elevation or depression suggests injury or ischemia.

The first downward deflection of the QRS complex before any upward wave.

The first upward (positive) deflection of the QRS complex.

The downward deflection that follows the R wave in the QRS complex.

The flat baseline of the tracing representing no net electrical activity; ST segments are measured against it.

For a regular rhythm, divide 300 by the number of large boxes between two R waves to estimate the heart rate.

For a regular rhythm, divide 1500 by the number of small boxes between two R waves for a precise heart rate.

Count the QRS complexes in a 6-second strip and multiply by 10 — works for both regular and irregular rhythms.

The distance between two consecutive R waves, used to judge rhythm regularity and calculate heart rate.

A regular rhythm of 60–100/min with an upright P wave before every narrow QRS and normal intervals.

A sinus rhythm slower than 60 beats per minute, with normal P waves and intervals.

A sinus rhythm faster than 100 beats per minute, with an upright P wave before each narrow QRS.

A heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute.

A heart rate faster than 100 beats per minute.

An 'irregularly irregular' rhythm with no true P waves — only a chaotic baseline — because the atria quiver instead of contracting.

An atrial rhythm with organized 'sawtooth' flutter waves at about 250–350/min, best seen in leads II, III, and aVF.

An early beat originating in the atria, with an abnormal P wave arriving sooner than expected.

An early, wide, bizarre QRS arising from the ventricles, usually with no preceding P wave.

A rhythm originating at the AV junction, often with absent, inverted, or hidden P waves and a rate near 40–60/min.

A fast, wide-complex rhythm of three or more ventricular beats in a row — a life-threatening emergency.

A chaotic, quivering baseline with no organized QRS — a life-threatening, shockable rhythm requiring CPR.

A flat line with no electrical activity — cardiac standstill; confirm in a second lead before assuming it.

A consistently prolonged PR interval (over 0.20 s) with every P wave still conducting to a QRS.

Progressive PR-interval lengthening until a QRS is dropped, then the cycle repeats.

Intermittently dropped QRS complexes with a constant PR interval; more dangerous than Mobitz I.

Complete dissociation of P waves and QRS complexes, which march independently — a medical emergency.

Delayed conduction in a bundle branch that widens the QRS because one ventricle is activated late by slow cell-to-cell spread.

A sharp, narrow vertical deflection on the tracing marking each electronic pacemaker discharge.

Reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, often shown as ST-segment depression or T-wave inversion.

Active myocardial injury classically shown as ST-segment elevation on the tracing.

Death of heart muscle from prolonged ischemia, often producing pathologic Q waves over time.

A high blood potassium level that classically produces tall, narrow, peaked T waves on the EKG.

A low blood potassium level that can flatten T waves and produce U waves on the EKG.

A small deflection sometimes following the T wave, associated with hypokalemia.

Regular rhythms have constant R-R intervals; irregular rhythms vary — judged by comparing R-R distances across the strip.

Assess regularity, rate, a P wave before each QRS, and QRS width to systematically name the rhythm.

Recognize the rhythm, activate the emergency response, and get a licensed provider — do not diagnose or treat.

Fine ventricular fibrillation can look like a flat line in one lead; confirm a suspected asystole in a second lead.

Ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia — rhythms treated with defibrillation and CPR.

The regular flutter waves of atrial flutter, best identified in the inferior leads II, III, and aVF.