Certified Cardiographic Technician (CCT) Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The presence of "spiked" waves in the ECG is typically associated with hyperkalemia, a condition characterized by elevated potassium levels in the blood. When potassium levels rise significantly, it affects the cardiac cell membrane potentials and alters the normal action potential and repolarization processes. This manifests on an ECG as peaked T waves, which can appear spiked or pointed.

Hyperkalemia can lead to more serious arrhythmias and can be life-threatening if not addressed. It is crucial for healthcare providers to recognize these changes on an ECG to initiate appropriate interventions promptly. Other conditions listed may have different ECG characteristics and would not typically present with spiked waves. For example, bradycardia is a slow heart rate and does not alter the shape of the waves significantly. Hypokalemia, on the other hand, is associated with flattened T waves and possible U waves. Myocardial infarction could show ST elevation or depression and T wave inversions, but spiked waves are not a hallmark of this condition.