EKG INTERPRETATION HCA CERTIFICATION
REVIEW 2026 FULL SOLUTION SET
◉ Sinoatrial Node (SA). Answer: 60-100
Dominant pacemaker of the heart, located in the ipper portion of the
R atrium.
◉ Inernodal Pathways. Answer: direct electrical impulses between
SA and AV nodes
◉ Bachman's Bundle. Answer: Direct electrical impulses between SA
Node to the left atrium
◉ Intrinsic Rates of Conduction. Answer: SA node: 60-100
AV node: 40-60
Bundle of His & Perk. Fib: 20-40
◉ AV node. Answer: 40-60
part of the AV junctional tissue. slows conduction, creating slight
delay before impulses reach ventricles.
,◉ Bundle of His. Answer: Transmits impulses to bundle branches.
Located below AV node
◉ Left Bundle branch. Answer: conducts impulses that lead to left
ventricle
◉ Right Bundle branch. Answer: conducts impulses that lead to right
ventricle
◉ Perkinje system. Answer: 20-40
network of fibers that spread impulses rapidly throughout
ventricular walls. Located at terminal bundle branches.
◉ Depolarization. Answer: the electrical charge of a cell is altered by
a shift of electrolytes on either side of the cell membrane. This
change stimulates muscle fiber to contract
◉ Repolarization. Answer: chemical pumps re-establish an internal
negative charge as the cells return to their resting state
◉ Automaticity. Answer: ability to initiate an impulse spontaneously
and continuously; all cells in the heart have this ability
-anything wrong with SA node, AV will kick in
, ◉ Excitability. Answer: ability to be electrically stimulated
-PVC's can cause this, throwing in extra beats on the EKG
-cells outside of normal conduction are firing at will
-caused by nicotine, caffeine, alcohol
◉ Conductivity. Answer: ability to transmit an impulse along a
membrane in an orderly manner
◉ contractility. Answer: ability to respond mechanically to an
impulse
◉ Inotropic. Answer: stregnth of contraction
-preload: amount of filling in ventricles
afterload: amount of force heart has to overcome to eject a volume of
blood
◉ chronotropic. Answer: rate of contraction
◉ dromotropic. Answer: speed of conduction
◉ ECG (EKG). Answer: a series of waves and deflections recording
the heart's electrical activity from a certain view or lead
-lead 2: most common, best to watch
REVIEW 2026 FULL SOLUTION SET
◉ Sinoatrial Node (SA). Answer: 60-100
Dominant pacemaker of the heart, located in the ipper portion of the
R atrium.
◉ Inernodal Pathways. Answer: direct electrical impulses between
SA and AV nodes
◉ Bachman's Bundle. Answer: Direct electrical impulses between SA
Node to the left atrium
◉ Intrinsic Rates of Conduction. Answer: SA node: 60-100
AV node: 40-60
Bundle of His & Perk. Fib: 20-40
◉ AV node. Answer: 40-60
part of the AV junctional tissue. slows conduction, creating slight
delay before impulses reach ventricles.
,◉ Bundle of His. Answer: Transmits impulses to bundle branches.
Located below AV node
◉ Left Bundle branch. Answer: conducts impulses that lead to left
ventricle
◉ Right Bundle branch. Answer: conducts impulses that lead to right
ventricle
◉ Perkinje system. Answer: 20-40
network of fibers that spread impulses rapidly throughout
ventricular walls. Located at terminal bundle branches.
◉ Depolarization. Answer: the electrical charge of a cell is altered by
a shift of electrolytes on either side of the cell membrane. This
change stimulates muscle fiber to contract
◉ Repolarization. Answer: chemical pumps re-establish an internal
negative charge as the cells return to their resting state
◉ Automaticity. Answer: ability to initiate an impulse spontaneously
and continuously; all cells in the heart have this ability
-anything wrong with SA node, AV will kick in
, ◉ Excitability. Answer: ability to be electrically stimulated
-PVC's can cause this, throwing in extra beats on the EKG
-cells outside of normal conduction are firing at will
-caused by nicotine, caffeine, alcohol
◉ Conductivity. Answer: ability to transmit an impulse along a
membrane in an orderly manner
◉ contractility. Answer: ability to respond mechanically to an
impulse
◉ Inotropic. Answer: stregnth of contraction
-preload: amount of filling in ventricles
afterload: amount of force heart has to overcome to eject a volume of
blood
◉ chronotropic. Answer: rate of contraction
◉ dromotropic. Answer: speed of conduction
◉ ECG (EKG). Answer: a series of waves and deflections recording
the heart's electrical activity from a certain view or lead
-lead 2: most common, best to watch
