About the ECG Strip ID (Image) question bank
Naming a rhythm from a description is easy. Naming it from a strip, quickly, is the skill that actually transfers to the lab and the one the RCIS tests with image items. This bank presents real rhythm strips and asks you to identify them.
Work each strip with the same method every time: is there a P wave, is it related to the QRS, is the QRS narrow or wide, is the rhythm regular, and what is the rate? That sequence will name almost every rhythm you meet, and it keeps you from guessing on pattern-recognition alone.
What this bank covers
- Sinus rhythm, sinus bradycardia, and sinus tachycardia
- Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter
- Supraventricular tachycardia
- Ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation
- Premature atrial and ventricular contractions
- First-degree, Mobitz I, Mobitz II, and complete heart block
- Asystole, PEA, and agonal rhythms
- Paced rhythms and pacemaker malfunction
How to use it
- Apply the same five questions to every strip: P waves? PR relationship? QRS width? Regularity? Rate?
- Time yourself. Rhythm recognition that takes thirty seconds is not yet recognition.
- Pair each rhythm with what you would do about it — the scenarios bank will ask exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
How is atrial flutter distinguished from atrial fibrillation on a strip?
Flutter has organised sawtooth flutter waves at roughly 250–350 per minute, often conducting in a fixed ratio that makes the ventricular response regular. Atrial fibrillation has no discernible P waves and is irregularly irregular.
What separates Mobitz I from Mobitz II?
Mobitz I shows a progressively lengthening PR interval until a beat drops. Mobitz II has a constant PR interval with a sudden dropped beat, and it is the more dangerous of the two because it often progresses to complete heart block.
Do the image questions on the real exam look like these?
The format is the same — a tracing plus a question — and the rhythms tested are the standard set. Our strips are original teaching images, not reproductions of exam material.