Cardiology Teaching Package
A Beginners Guide to Normal Heart Function, Sinus Rhythm & Common Cardiac Arrhythmias
Artefact
Artefact is the name given to disturbances in rhythm monitoring caused by movement of the electrodes.(see below)
Image: Artefact Example 1
Image: Artefact Example 2
Image: Artefact Example 3
Image: Artefact Example 4
Image: Artefact Example 5
So, what are you going to do if you get either of the problems above?
You need to repeat the ECG but do as much as you can to correct any modifiable problems, eg
- Comfort of the patient
- Turn machines off
- Drugs to control symptoms
- Warm the patient
- Talk to the workmen
The movement can be caused in a number of ways.
- If the electrodes have been in place for a prolonged period of time, the moist inner pad can dry up and the connection becomes poor.
- Sometimes the weight of the leads can pull the electrode away from the skin and contact is lost intermittently, such as when the patient leans or roles over.
- Sometimes the electrode has come away from the skin and is stuck to an item of clothing
- Sometimes, the patient is fiddling with the electrodes
Whatever the cause, it needs identifying and correcting as no reliable information can be gleaned from an incorrectly functioning monitor. Sometimes the monitor recognises the problem and the message "artefact" appears on the monitor screen.
However, the machine can also mistake artefact for fatal arrhythmias such as VF and VT. In this case the machine will release a "fatal arrhythmia" alarm and the nurse will have to keep running to the monitor to turn off the alarm.
Whatever causes the interference, sort it out quickly. It may take up a few more minutes you cannot spare, but it will make the monitor alarms more useful to you as they will then only alarm when a real problem occurs.
