Dialysis Equipment and Troubleshooting Flashcards
6 cards from real CHT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Dialysis Equipment and Troubleshooting flashcards as text
A blood leak alarm activates during dialysis. What is the first action the technician should take?
Answer: Clamp blood lines and do NOT return blood to patient
When a blood leak is confirmed, blood lines must be clamped and blood should NOT be returned because the dialysate may be contaminated.
Which factor most directly affects the efficiency of solute clearance in hemodialysis?
Answer: Blood flow rate and dialysate flow rate
Solute clearance is primarily determined by blood flow rate and dialysate flow rate, which drive diffusive transport across the membrane.
What does the term 'high-flux dialysis' refer to?
Answer: Use of a dialyzer with a high KUF and ability to clear middle molecules
High-flux dialysis uses membranes with a high KUF and large pore size to remove middle molecules in addition to small solutes.
What causes foaming in the venous drip chamber during hemodialysis?
Answer: Air in the arterial line causing turbulence
Air entering the arterial bloodline creates turbulence in the venous drip chamber, resulting in foam formation.
A patient's arterial pressure monitor reads increasingly negative values during treatment. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: Inadequate blood flow from the access
Increasingly negative arterial pressure indicates the blood pump is working harder to draw blood, usually due to poor flow from the vascular access.
What is the function of the heparin pump on a dialysis machine?
Answer: Deliver anticoagulant at a controlled rate into the arterial blood line
The heparin pump infuses anticoagulant at a preset rate into the arterial blood line to prevent clotting in the extracorporeal circuit.