Somatic tremors on an electrocardiogram are commonly caused by which of the following?

Somatic tremors on an electrocardiogram are commonly caused by which of the following?

• A. Patient movement
• B. Equipment calibration error
• C. Cold, shivering; AC interference: electrical, phone
• D. Low battery in monitor

Answer: (C)

Somatic tremor artifacts come from muscle activity, not the heart. When a patient trembles or shakes—often from cold—or when external electrical interference is present, the muscles generate electrical signals that are picked up by the ECG leads, producing rapid, irregular spikes or jittery baselines on the tracing. The option that mentions cold, shivering and AC interference from electrical devices (like phones) best captures both the muscle activity and the external noise that create somatic tremors. Other choices don’t describe this combination: general patient movement can cause artifact, but somatic tremor specifically involves tremor-related muscle activity and external electrical interference, while calibration errors or low battery affect the equipment differently and don’t produce the characteristic tremor pattern.

Somatic tremor artifacts come from muscle activity, not the heart. When a patient trembles or shakes—often from cold—or when external electrical interference is present, the muscles generate electrical signals that are picked up by the ECG leads, producing rapid, irregular spikes or jittery baselines on the tracing. The option that mentions cold, shivering and AC interference from electrical devices (like phones) best captures both the muscle activity and the external noise that create somatic tremors. Other choices don’t describe this combination: general patient movement can cause artifact, but somatic tremor specifically involves tremor-related muscle activity and external electrical interference, while calibration errors or low battery affect the equipment differently and don’t produce the characteristic tremor pattern.