AACN 2026/2027 Updated Exam Review & Practice Question | Graded A+
Endocardium - ANSWER inner layer of the heart
Myocardium - ANSWER thick, middle layer of the heart
Epicardium - ANSWER outer surface of the heart muscle
RCA - ANSWER extends to the back of the heart and perfuses the posterior of the heart
ECG prep - ANSWER alcohol before skin prep
Time it takes the paper to come out of the EKG machine? - ANSWER 25 mm/s
Vertical axis - ANSWER voltage--small box = 0.1 mv
Horizontal axis - ANSWER time--small box = 0.4 sec
How often are tick marks? - ANSWER every 3 seconds
Isoelectric line - ANSWER electrical charges in the heart are equal
5 lead - ANSWER smoke over fire, clouds over grass, brown in the middle
QT prolongation - ANSWER - can cause torsades
- can be affected by drugs (antibiotics, Antidysrhythmic , antipsychotic drugs)
Atrial pacemaker fires... - ANSWER before the P wave
Ventricular pacemaker fires... - ANSWER before the QRS complex
, Threshold - ANSWER the lowest amount of energy needed to produce a "capture"
Failure to pace - ANSWER no pacemaker activity, it is not firing. This could be a sensitivity problem or
a mechanical issue
Failure to capture - ANSWER the pacemaker is firing but no P wave or QRS complex follows the pacer
spike. The impulse is not strong enough to depolarize the heart (increasing the mA will troubleshoot
this problem)
Failure to sense - ANSWER If the pacer spike is in the T wave, it is failure to sense
Over-sensing - ANSWER - the pacemaker is too sensitive
- ex. pt is coughing and the pace maker thinks it's the pt's HR
- to decrease the sensitivity you must INCREASE the mV
too sensistive - ANSWER INCREASE the mV
Under-sensing - ANSWER - the pacemaker is not sensitive enough
- ex. fixed pace at 75 but pt is running up the stairs, their HR is climbing, and the pacemaker is not
picking it up
- to increase the sensitivity you must DECREASE the mV
Not sensitive enough - ANSWER DECREASE the mV
Pulse generator - ANSWER initiates the impulse, also contains the battery
Single Chamber Atrial pacing - ANSWER - spike followed by p wave
- AAI
- AAT
Single Chamber Ventricular pacing - ANSWER - spike followed by QRS
- VVI
Endocardium - ANSWER inner layer of the heart
Myocardium - ANSWER thick, middle layer of the heart
Epicardium - ANSWER outer surface of the heart muscle
RCA - ANSWER extends to the back of the heart and perfuses the posterior of the heart
ECG prep - ANSWER alcohol before skin prep
Time it takes the paper to come out of the EKG machine? - ANSWER 25 mm/s
Vertical axis - ANSWER voltage--small box = 0.1 mv
Horizontal axis - ANSWER time--small box = 0.4 sec
How often are tick marks? - ANSWER every 3 seconds
Isoelectric line - ANSWER electrical charges in the heart are equal
5 lead - ANSWER smoke over fire, clouds over grass, brown in the middle
QT prolongation - ANSWER - can cause torsades
- can be affected by drugs (antibiotics, Antidysrhythmic , antipsychotic drugs)
Atrial pacemaker fires... - ANSWER before the P wave
Ventricular pacemaker fires... - ANSWER before the QRS complex
, Threshold - ANSWER the lowest amount of energy needed to produce a "capture"
Failure to pace - ANSWER no pacemaker activity, it is not firing. This could be a sensitivity problem or
a mechanical issue
Failure to capture - ANSWER the pacemaker is firing but no P wave or QRS complex follows the pacer
spike. The impulse is not strong enough to depolarize the heart (increasing the mA will troubleshoot
this problem)
Failure to sense - ANSWER If the pacer spike is in the T wave, it is failure to sense
Over-sensing - ANSWER - the pacemaker is too sensitive
- ex. pt is coughing and the pace maker thinks it's the pt's HR
- to decrease the sensitivity you must INCREASE the mV
too sensistive - ANSWER INCREASE the mV
Under-sensing - ANSWER - the pacemaker is not sensitive enough
- ex. fixed pace at 75 but pt is running up the stairs, their HR is climbing, and the pacemaker is not
picking it up
- to increase the sensitivity you must DECREASE the mV
Not sensitive enough - ANSWER DECREASE the mV
Pulse generator - ANSWER initiates the impulse, also contains the battery
Single Chamber Atrial pacing - ANSWER - spike followed by p wave
- AAI
- AAT
Single Chamber Ventricular pacing - ANSWER - spike followed by QRS
- VVI
