Certified Hemodialysis Technologist/Technician Flashcards
7 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 7 Certified Hemodialysis Technologist/Technician flashcards as text
Which anticoagulant is most commonly used to prevent clotting in the extracorporeal circuit during hemodialysis?
Answer: Unfractionated heparin
Unfractionated heparin is the standard anticoagulant for hemodialysis circuits due to its short half-life and reversibility with protamine sulfate.
A technician notices the venous pressure alarm is consistently high during a treatment. This most likely indicates:
Answer: Stenosis or clotting near the venous needle site
Elevated venous pressure indicates resistance to blood return, commonly caused by stenosis, needle malposition, or clotting at the venous access site.
Hemolysis during hemodialysis can be caused by:
Answer: Kinked blood tubing or excessive blood pump speed
Mechanical destruction of red blood cells can occur due to kinked tubing, stenotic needles, or excessively high pump speeds creating shear stress.
The buttonhole cannulation technique for AVF access involves:
Answer: Inserting needles into the same tract using a blunt needle after the tract forms
Buttonhole technique creates a consistent scar tunnel allowing blunt needle entry, reducing hematoma risk and patient discomfort.
Which dialyzer membrane characteristic most directly affects the removal of middle molecules like beta-2 microglobulin?
Answer: Pore size (high-flux vs. low-flux)
High-flux membranes have larger pores that allow convective removal of middle molecules such as beta-2 microglobulin, which low-flux membranes cannot adequately clear.
A patient's dry weight is best described as:
Answer: The weight at which the patient has no signs of fluid overload or dehydration
Dry weight is the target post-dialysis weight at which the patient is euvolemic — no edema and no signs of intravascular volume depletion.
A concentrate proportioning system that uses two concentrate containers (acid and bicarbonate) is called:
Answer: Bicarbonate dialysate delivery system
Modern bicarbonate dialysate delivery systems use separate acid (containing acetate, electrolytes, dextrose) and bicarbonate concentrates to produce dialysate online.