Monitoring ECG/Resp
7-6
12-Leadwire Electrode Placement
12-lead ECG uses 10 electrodes, which are placed on
the patient’s four limbs and chest. The limb electrodes
should be placed on the soft skin and the chest
electrodes placed according to the physician’s
preference.
Lead Placement for Surgical Patients
The surgical site should be taken into consideration
when placing electrodes on a surgical patient. e.g. for
open heart surgery, the chest electrodes can be placed
on the lateral chest or back. To reduce artifacts and
interference from electrosurgical units, the limb
electrodes can be placed close to the shoulders and
lower abdomen and the chest electrodes on the left side
of the mid-chest. Do not place the electrodes on the
upper arm. Otherwise, the ECG waveform will be very
small.
WARNING
z When using electrosurgical units (ESU), place ECG electrodes between the
grounding plate of the ESU and the ESU to prevent unwanted burns. Never
entangle the ESU cable and the ECG cable together.
z When using electrosurgical units (ESU), never place ECG electrodes near to the
grounding plate of the ESU, as this can cause a lot of interference on the ECG
signal.