Introduction 324 - Cardiac Monitoring

Part 1

Cardiac monitoring is commonly performed in many areas in critical care. Applying a cardiac monitor is a simple task, but the circumstances may be very different from prehospital to the emergency department to surgery, including pre and post-operatively and the myriad of intensive care units and telemetry.

Part 2

The important thing to remember is that the patient has a monitor applied for a specific reason. Remain diligent in your observation and report any changes noted during "monitoring".

A cardiac monitor is a tool to be used to assist with assessment of the patient. Remember to always treat the patient and not the "monitor".

Part 3

An unresponsive patient with what appears to be Normal Sinus Rhythm may in fact be clinically dead. They may have something called "Pulseless Electrical Activity".

Pay strict attention to your patient's vital signs and level of consciousness during monitoring.