How do you apply your limb leads?
Back in medic school, I remember an instructor telling us once that all limb leads should be placed on the same portion of the limbs equidistant away from the heart and other limb leads, ie: if the lower leads are placed on the calves, they should be applied to the lower segment of the arms as well - the forearms. I've also seen folks put them on the upper chest (just below the clavicles on the mid-anterior axilllary line, close to the anterior deltoid) and on the abdomen region - just above the hips.
I ask this because at my work, everyone seems to put them on the shoulders and calves, which seems to go against what I had learned. When I have done my own 12 leads, I have been comfortable in keeping all my leads in the torso, ie. precordial leads where they typically go and limb leads (as described above) on the upper lateral chest and down by the upper margin of the hips. The ekg seems to turn out fine, but unfortunately my FTO's have looked at me like I'm stupid and don't know what I'm doing.
I suppose I need to just test these methods out on myself one day, but I'm curious what you folks think/know/feel about the placement of the leads.
Back in medic school, I remember an instructor telling us once that all limb leads should be placed on the same portion of the limbs equidistant away from the heart and other limb leads, ie: if the lower leads are placed on the calves, they should be applied to the lower segment of the arms as well - the forearms. I've also seen folks put them on the upper chest (just below the clavicles on the mid-anterior axilllary line, close to the anterior deltoid) and on the abdomen region - just above the hips.
I ask this because at my work, everyone seems to put them on the shoulders and calves, which seems to go against what I had learned. When I have done my own 12 leads, I have been comfortable in keeping all my leads in the torso, ie. precordial leads where they typically go and limb leads (as described above) on the upper lateral chest and down by the upper margin of the hips. The ekg seems to turn out fine, but unfortunately my FTO's have looked at me like I'm stupid and don't know what I'm doing.
I suppose I need to just test these methods out on myself one day, but I'm curious what you folks think/know/feel about the placement of the leads.
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