EKG AcquisitionQuestion 50 of 100
A patient has a hairy chest and oily skin. What is the correct skin preparation before applying chest electrodes?
a.Apply the electrodes over the hair and press firmly
b.Clip the hair at each site, cleanse the skin with alcohol, let it dry, and gently abrade with a dry gauze
c.Shave the entire chest with a razor and apply lotion to soothe the skin
d.Wipe the chest with a povidone-iodine swab and apply electrodes while still wet
Explanation
Good skin prep means clipping excess hair only at the electrode sites, cleansing with alcohol to remove oils, allowing the skin to dry completely, and lightly abrading with dry gauze to reduce resistance. Applying electrodes over hair or wet skin causes poor contact and wandering baseline. Lotion insulates the skin, and full shaving with a razor is unnecessary and risks nicks that break the skin barrier.
Practice all 100 questions free — no signup required.
Related questions on this topic
- What does the standardization mark on an EKG tracing indicate when it is 10 mm tall?
- At the standard paper speed, how much time does one small box represent, and what is that speed?
- How much time and voltage does one large box on standard EKG paper represent?
- A technician is setting up 5-lead telemetry monitoring. Which placement follows the standard color convention?
- How many electrodes are applied for standard 3-lead cardiac monitoring, and what do they produce?
- The QRS complexes on a 12-lead tracing are so tall that they run off the paper and overlap the lead above. What is the appropriate action?
Last reviewed: · editorial process
PrepPass Editorial Team · Verified against NHA Certified EKG Technician (CET) Exam · How we review