Certified EkG technician (CET) Practice Exam

In a posterior 12-lead EKG placement, which leads should be positioned along the paraspinous border?

1. Leads V7 and V8

2. Leads V9 and V6

3. Leads V1 and V2

4. Leads V3 and V4

The correct answer is: Leads V7 and V8

In a posterior 12-lead EKG placement, the correct leads to position along the paraspinous border are V7 and V8. This placement is specifically designed to assess the electrical activity of the heart from the posterior aspect, which can be particularly important in diagnosing conditions like posterior myocardial infarctions. Placing V7 and V8 along the paraspinous border allows for the optimal recording of the electrical signals from the posterior wall of the heart. V7 is typically located in the left posterior axillary line, while V8 is placed on the left scapular line, both of which provide crucial information about the posterior cardiac region. The other lead configurations do not correspond to this specific location for assessing the posterior heart area. For instance, leads V1 and V2 are primarily placed in the anterior region of the chest to capture activity from the right ventricle and the interventricular septum. Similarly, V3 and V4 are positioned over the anterior wall of the heart, and V9 is typically used as an additional posterior lead on the right side, not along the paraspinous border. Thus, the placement of leads V7 and V8 is essential and aligned correctly in this scenario.