AHE 112 - EKG/Cardiac Monitoring/Telemetry

5.0 Credits
Fundamentals of anatomy and physiology of the heart and conduction system. Techniques for performing 12 lead ECGs and recognition of normal cardiac rhythms. Basic interpretation of cardiac arrhythmias including those that require immediate intervention. Overview of additional cardiac testing.
Prerequisite AHE 110 with a minimum grade of 2.0 or equivalent.
Course-level Learning Objectives (CLOs)

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Recognize lethal and nonlethal rhythms and state the appropriate interventions to be taken.
Describe the roles of the EKG Technician, Monitor Technician, and the nurse as it relates to telemetry and EKG testing including closed-loop communication along with when immediate notification of an abnormality needs to occur.
Explain the components of the heart’s conduction system including the SA, AV, Bundle of His, and the Purkinje fibers. Identify rhythms originating in the SA, AV, atria, and the ventricles; and discuss their significance.
Describe paced rhythms, along with bundle branch block patterns and be able to identify ischemia and infarction on the ECG tracing.
Explain how cardiac monitoring/telemetry is used in patient assessment and treatment. Know the effect of certain medications on the ECG waves, especially the Q-T interval. Become familiar with additional cardiac testing such as holter monitors, zio patches, stress, stress echo exams, and pharmacological stress testing and when each would be appropriate.
Demonstrate safe and proficient patient preparation and lead placement to perform an ECG. Describe how to determine rate, measure intervals, and segments; and be able to recognize cardiac rhythms.