Attaching a patient to a cardiac monitor and obtaining a clear electrocardiogram (ECG) trace may now be considered basic nursing skills. In line with the UK professional standards and code of conduct, healthcare practitioners are required to practise effectively and preserve patients’ safety. Therefore, healthcare practitioners undertaking cardiac monitoring are required to have a basic understanding of normal sinus rhythms and some of the common types of cardiac arrhythmia. This will enable prompt recognition of early warning signs of potential and actual clinical conditions, and the timely initiation of treatment. This article reviews the clinical skill of attaching a patient to a three and five-lead cardiac monitor, discussing appropriate skin preparation and lead selection. It also outlines the identification of several of the common types of cardiac arrhythmia on an ECG rhythm strip using a systematic approach.
Nursing Standard. 32, 11, 51-63. doi: 10.7748/ns.2017.e11002
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Conflict of interestNone declared
RevalidationPrepare for revalidation: read this CPD article, answer the questionnaire and write a reflective account: rcni.com/reflective-account
To write a CPD articlePlease email tanya.fernandes@rcni.com. Guidelines on writing for publication are available at: rcni.com/writeforus
Received: 06 September 2017
Accepted: 12 October 2017
or
Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now
Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more