Equipment Operation & Maintenance Flashcards
7 cards from real CLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Equipment Operation & Maintenance flashcards as text
When verifying the linearity of a new reagent lot on a chemistry analyzer, the technologist should use:
Answer: Commercial linearity panels with certified concentrations across the AMR
Linearity verification requires certified commercial linearity panels with known concentrations spanning the full analytical measurement range to confirm the assay responds proportionally.
Which of the following is the CORRECT procedure for decontaminating a biosafety cabinet (BSC) after a spill of a blood-borne pathogen?
Answer: While the blower is running, absorb the spill, then wipe with an appropriate disinfectant from the back toward the front
The blower must remain on during BSC decontamination to maintain directional airflow; the spill is absorbed first, then the surface disinfected working from the clean area toward the contaminated area.
A lab technologist is troubleshooting an HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) system with a broadening peak shape. The MOST likely cause is:
Answer: Column degradation or a void in the stationary phase packing
A broadened peak in HPLC is a classic sign of column degradation, channeling, or a void in the stationary phase, all of which cause loss of theoretical plates and reduced resolution.
Why is it important to 'prime' reagent lines before beginning a patient testing run on an automated chemistry analyzer?
Answer: To purge air bubbles and ensure the correct reagent fills the delivery pathway
Priming removes air bubbles from reagent lines, preventing air injection into reaction cuvettes that would cause erroneous absorbance readings.
A coagulation analyzer's QC results show a sudden shift downward for fibrinogen assay controls across all levels. The MOST likely explanation is:
Answer: Reagent lot change or reagent degradation affecting the assay calibration
A shift affecting all control levels simultaneously suggests a systematic issue such as a reagent lot change or reagent deterioration rather than random or biological variation.
Which statement about preventive maintenance (PM) documentation in a CLIA-accredited laboratory is TRUE?
Answer: PM activities must be documented with date, person performing the maintenance, and results/observations
CLIA requires that all preventive maintenance activities be documented including the date, the identity of the person performing the activity, and the results or observations noted.
When a new lot of calibrators is introduced for an automated immunoassay analyzer, what is the MINIMUM verification required before using the new lot for patient testing?
Answer: Run multi-level QC with the new calibrators and verify results fall within established acceptable ranges
Before switching to a new calibrator lot, multi-level QC must be run to confirm the new calibration yields results within established acceptable ranges across the reportable range.