An EKG tracing shows a wandering, wavy baseline with fuzzy spikes across all leads. The patient is shivering and talking. What is the most likely cause and correction?

Explanation

Muscle movement from shivering, talking, or tension produces somatic tremor artifact, corrected by warming the patient, providing reassurance, and asking them to lie still. Alternating current interference typically appears as uniform small spikes rather than a jittery baseline tied to movement. The tracing is artifact, not true cardiac activity, and the machine does not need repair when the cause is patient movement.