How to know the amount of time is in a strip?

mrsboots87 · Jan 30, 2015

This will be in your books. I haven't gotten to EKG reading yet, but I have seen it explained I. The cardiac section of my Med/Surg book. As for fetal monitoring. We just went over this in class and it is also in my maternity nursing book. I also found many examples of the various readings on google when I needed more visuals. I would suggest looking in your books. I can tell you it has to do with dark pink lines vs light pink lines and is pretty simple. But maybe after you use your resources to find an answer, the some of the 'old bats' can guide you with better explanations then I could if I tried.

nlitened · Jan 30, 2015

Most charted EKG strips are 6 seconds. Most not all. This can vary depending on the brand of tele monitors, and the event on the strip. The ones that come out as one long strip-from little black triangle to little black triangle=6 seconds. The ones that print out on regular paper, 6 second each line. But again, it can vary.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jan 30, 2015

You could always do the 300 method too

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2015

OP, it may be helpful for you to know that EKG paper runs through the machine at a constant rate, and this is the same everywhere by convention. That rate is 300 big boxes per minute, or 1500 little boxes per minute (there are five little ones in every big one). That strip above shows how to count the rate from the QRS that hits right on the line about above the "o" in "or" using the below instructions.

Knowing that, you can see that if you had something (like a QRS) in every big box, your heart rate would be 300/minute (whew! ok if you're a pygmy shrew, but not so hot for humans).

If you had a QRS in every other box, that would be ... 150/minute (300/2)

Every third box, 100/minute (300/3)

Every fourth box, 75/minute (300/4)

Every 5th box, 60/minute (300/5)

And so on....

And there are usually also little marks in the white margin at the top of the strip that occur every 3 seconds.

ChooSoul · Feb 2, 2015

ok i get how to know the amount of time there is in an EKG.

How about the FHR? help please!!

missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2015

Check your book or your notes. Google how to determine FHR. Best of luck.