You may have heard of an EKG machine if you or someone you know has spent time in the ICU. What many people do not know is what they do and how they do it. EKG machines play a vital role in today’s ICUs for monitoring patients and making sure they are not going into cardiac arrest. Here is what you need to know about EKG machines.
What Are They For?
Basically, an EKG tech will be in the ICU and will watch several monitors with the readings from each patient’s EKG machine. This reading will tell them if the patient’s heart is OK, or if they are going into cardiac arrest or having other issues. These are also used throughout hospitals to monitor patients with potential heart conditions. EKG is not used as a treatment but is instead simply a diagnostic tool.
How Do They Work?
EKG stands for electrocardiogram, and it uses electric signals from the patient’s heart to monitor their heart. These readings are then displayed on a monitor for the EKG tech to watch. If the tech notices something unusual on a patient’s chart, then they can alert a doctor or nurse to see to the patient. This takes part of the load off of the nurses and doctors that already have their hands full in the ICU.
Who Uses Them?
Most of the time EKG machines will be monitored by technicians who have received either a college education or on the job training on how to read the charts. These positions often require only a high school diploma and training, but they play a very important role in the working of a hospital.
EKG machines play an important role in today’s hospitals and allow doctors and nurses to treat other patients without neglecting the monitoring of another patient. Since there is a single person monitoring multiple patients at the same time, all on computer monitors, they do not have to worry about making rounds into the patient’s room to check on them.
If you are considering becoming an EKG tech then call Altamont Healthcare. You can find out more on their website.
