Patient Safety and Monitoring Flashcards
12 cards from real CMT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 12 Patient Safety and Monitoring flashcards as text
When monitoring a patient on telemetry, which ECG rhythm requires immediate intervention?
Answer: Ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation is a lethal rhythm with no organized cardiac activity, requiring immediate defibrillation.
The normal adult blood pressure range is:
Answer: Less than 120/80 mmHg
Normal adult blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg according to the American Heart Association guidelines.
A patient's oxygen saturation (SpO2) drops to 88%. The medical technician should first:
Answer: Reposition the patient and verify the reading, then notify the nurse or provider
First verify the reading by repositioning the probe and checking for signal quality, then promptly notify the nurse or provider for clinical assessment.
Which vital sign change would indicate a patient is developing sepsis?
Answer: Temperature 101.5°F with heart rate 110 bpm and respiratory rate 24
The combination of fever, tachycardia, and tachypnea meets criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which may indicate sepsis.
Capillary refill time is assessed by pressing on a nail bed and should return to normal color within:
Answer: Less than 2 seconds
Normal capillary refill time is less than 2 seconds, indicating adequate peripheral perfusion.
Continuous cardiac monitoring is most important for patients receiving which type of medication?
Answer: Intravenous potassium
IV potassium administration requires continuous cardiac monitoring because rapid infusion or high concentrations can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias.
A patient's blood glucose reading is 45 mg/dL. This indicates:
Answer: Hypoglycemia
A blood glucose of 45 mg/dL is significantly below normal (70-100 mg/dL fasting) and indicates hypoglycemia requiring immediate treatment.
Orthostatic vital signs are taken to assess:
Answer: Blood pressure and heart rate changes with position changes
Orthostatic (postural) vital signs measure blood pressure and heart rate in lying, sitting, and standing positions to detect orthostatic hypotension.
When monitoring a patient receiving a blood transfusion, the technician should watch for signs of transfusion reaction including:
Answer: Fever, chills, urticaria, and back pain
Signs of transfusion reaction include fever, chills, hives (urticaria), back or flank pain, dyspnea, and hypotension.
A patient with a chest tube should be monitored for:
Answer: Tidaling (fluctuation) in the water seal chamber with respiration
Tidaling (fluid level rising with inspiration and falling with expiration) in the water seal chamber is a normal finding indicating the system is functioning properly.
The Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) is used to:
Answer: Identify patients at risk of clinical deterioration
MEWS is a bedside assessment tool that uses physiological parameters to identify patients at risk of clinical deterioration.
When monitoring intake and output (I&O), which of the following should be included in intake measurement?
Answer: All oral fluids, IV fluids, tube feedings, and IV medications
Intake includes ALL fluids entering the body: oral liquids, IV fluids, blood products, tube feedings, and IV medications.
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