Cardiac-Vascular Nursing Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Prep Guide

The assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) frequently utilizes a 12-lead ECG due to its ability to visualize electrical activity across different regions of the heart. A 12-lead ECG can reveal arrhythmias, ischemia, and other abnormalities that indicate CAD. It provides critical information such as ST-segment elevation or depression, T-wave inversions, and Q waves, which are important for diagnosing ischemic events and heart attacks.

While pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, and myocarditis may also show changes on an ECG, they are not primarily diagnosed or assessed using a 12-lead ECG as CAD is. For instance, heart failure can lead to nonspecific changes on an ECG, whereas pulmonary hypertension is often diagnosed through echocardiography or pulmonary function tests. Myocarditis can show ST changes or arrhythmias, but again, these findings are less definitive for diagnosis than those typically associated with CAD, making the use of a 12-lead ECG more closely associated with assessing coronary artery disease.