You are working in an outpatient facility that performs ECGs by appointment. You go to the lobby to call your next patient. The patient gets up and comes with you, but you notice that he is out of breath. When you ask, he tells you that he works only two blocks away, but he was held up at the office and had to run in order to make his appointment time. Which of the following is your best course of action?
A)Compliment the patient on making his appointment time and perform the ECG.
B)Ask the patient to make another appointment and come back when he is not out of breath.
C)Explain that you need to wait for his vital signs to return to normal before running the ECG.
D)Perform the ECG and place a note in the patient's file that his vital signs were abnormal.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Performing an ECG on a patient whose vital signs are not at their resting state can lead to inaccurate results. It is best to wait until the patient's heart rate and breathing have returned to normal before conducting the test. This ensures the accuracy of the ECG and is in the best interest of the patient's health.

You Are Working in an Outpatient Facility That Performs ECGs