A few helpful tips when looking at EKGs from Jennifer Carlquist, PA-C, and course director of The Urgent Care EKG Course.
- If your patient is young and has had syncope, the most important question to ask is: “Does anyone in the family have a history of sudden cardiac arrest at a young age?”
- If a young patient has chest pain with difficulty breathing, and it is localized, you should document that you do or don’t have an s1, q3, t3, which could indicate they have a pulmonary embolus.
- When looking for ST elevation, a good way to not miss any ask elevation is to line up with the TP segment, which is the most isoelectric line.
- If a patient has a wide qrs, you should consider bundle, branch block, intraventricular conduction delay wpw, and hyperkalemia.
- If you have a lot of artifact on your EKG and you are unable to tell if you have atrial fibrillation, make sure you repeat it.
- Artifact can falsely give you a prolonged qtc.
This course is ideal for PAs and NPs practicing in urgent care. Whether you’re new to practice or have many years of experience, you’re sure to learn practical, evidence-based tips you can use on your next shift. You can sharpen your EKG interpretation skills, improve your accuracy, become more proficient, and boost your clinical confidence with The Urgent Care EKG Course. Visit https://www.ebmedicine.net/ekg to learn more.
Last Updated on May 11, 2023
