CRNI CRNI Infusion Pump Technology and Safety Practice Test 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which alarm condition on a smart infusion pump indicates that the upstream occlusion pressure has been exceeded?
- Downstream occlusion alarm
- Air-in-line alarm
- Upstream occlusion alarm (Correct answer)
- Door open alarm
Correct answer: Upstream occlusion alarm
An upstream occlusion alarm fires when resistance proximal to the pump exceeds the set threshold, indicating a blockage between the fluid source and the pump mechanism.
Question 2: A nurse programs a secondary (piggyback) infusion on a volumetric pump. Which feature automatically resumes the primary infusion when the secondary bag empties?
- KVO (keep-vein-open) rate
- Back-check valve
- Automatic secondary completion (Correct answer)
- Pressure equalization
Correct answer: Automatic secondary completion
The automatic secondary completion feature detects when the piggyback bag empties and resumes the primary infusion at its programmed rate.
Question 3: What does the term 'occlusion pressure limit' refer to on an infusion pump?
- The maximum flow rate before the pump shuts off
- The pressure threshold at which the pump alarms for a blockage (Correct answer)
- The negative pressure used to draw fluid into the tubing
- The pressure required to prime the pump chamber
Correct answer: The pressure threshold at which the pump alarms for a blockage
The occlusion pressure limit is the configurable pressure threshold at which the pump stops and alarms to alert clinicians of a downstream blockage.
Question 4: During an infusion, a patient's pump displays a 'soft limit override' alert. What does this indicate?
- The pump has automatically corrected a dosing error
- A clinician has programmed a dose outside the recommended range but within the hard limit (Correct answer)
- The pump has stopped infusion pending pharmacist approval
- The battery backup has activated
Correct answer: A clinician has programmed a dose outside the recommended range but within the hard limit
A soft limit override means the nurse acknowledged and bypassed the advisory warning but stayed within the hard (absolute) safety limit programmed in the drug library.
Question 5: Which factor most directly affects the accuracy of a syringe pump's delivery rate?
- The color of the syringe barrel
- Correct syringe size and brand recognition by the pump (Correct answer)
- The length of the extension tubing
- The patient's blood pressure
Correct answer: Correct syringe size and brand recognition by the pump
Syringe pumps calculate flow based on the syringe's inner diameter; selecting the wrong syringe size or brand causes the pump to miscalculate volume per step, leading to dosing errors.
Question 6: A nurse notices the infusion pump's flow rate accuracy specification is ±5%. If the pump is set to 100 mL/hr, what is the acceptable delivery range?
- 95–105 mL/hr (Correct answer)
- 90–110 mL/hr
- 98–102 mL/hr
- 85–115 mL/hr
Correct answer: 95–105 mL/hr
A ±5% accuracy specification on a 100 mL/hr setting means the actual delivery can range from 95 to 105 mL/hr and still be within the manufacturer's stated tolerance.
Question 7: Which action should a nurse take FIRST when an infusion pump repeatedly alarms for air-in-line despite no visible air bubbles?
- Increase the flow rate to flush the air sensor
- Replace the administration set and re-prime (Correct answer)
- Disable the air-in-line alarm temporarily
- Switch the pump to gravity flow
Correct answer: Replace the administration set and re-prime
Replacing and re-priming the administration set eliminates micro-bubbles and ensures the air sensor is functioning correctly with a known-good set.
CRNI CRNI Infusion Pump Technology and Safety Practice Test 4
Which alarm condition on a smart infusion pump indicates that the upstream occlusion pressure has been exceeded?