Before recording an electrocardiogram (ECG), the assistant's first equipment step is to
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Medical Office Assistant · Clinical Laboratory Technology and Diagnostics
Equipment Checks, Mounting, and Labeling
On this page 3 sections
Quick check
5 questions here, of 85 in this lesson’s practice set. Answers stay hidden until you check.
When stocking the ECG cart, which finding requires the assistant to replace the supply before use?
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An assistant opens a package of ECG electrodes and finds the conductive gel is dried and cracked. The correct action is to
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While preparing the ECG machine, the assistant notices the patient cable has a frayed wire near the connector. The best action is to
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The patient cable must be connected to the ECG machine in a way that ensures the machine can
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Study tools & related lessonsYou’ll learn to · Related
You’ll learn to
- Verify ECG equipment readiness, including power, supplies, electrodes, cables, paper, and calibration, before a recording and act on expired, damaged, or missing items.
- Mount a completed ECG tracing flat, complete, and legible into the correct patient's record while preserving identifiers and the calibration mark.
- Label each tracing with at least two patient-specific identifiers plus the correct date, time, and ordering clinician, without guessing or pre-labeling.
- Recognize common ECG artifacts and equipment problems and apply basic troubleshooting, escalating rather than interpreting.
- Escalate equipment malfunctions, uncertain tracings, and patient symptoms to licensed staff and follow office policy at all times.
Sources & references
- American Heart Association — Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- U.S. National Library of Medicine — MedlinePlus
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Heart Disease
This lesson was adapted from the open educational references above; their licenses and attributions are preserved. See Copyright & Licensing.
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