Echocardiogram Patient Care and Safety in Echocardiography 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Before performing a transthoracic echocardiogram, what is the most important safety step regarding patient identification?
- Confirm patient name and date of birth using two identifiers (Correct answer)
- Check only the room number on the door
- Ask the nurse to identify the patient verbally
- Confirm only the medical record number
Correct answer: Confirm patient name and date of birth using two identifiers
Two-identifier verification (e.g., name and date of birth) is the standard patient safety protocol to prevent wrong-patient errors.
Question 2: Which position is most commonly used for transthoracic echocardiography to improve image quality while maintaining patient comfort?
- Supine with arms at sides
- Left lateral decubitus (Correct answer)
- Prone
- Right lateral decubitus
Correct answer: Left lateral decubitus
The left lateral decubitus position brings the heart closer to the chest wall, improving acoustic windows and image quality.
Question 3: What is the primary infection control measure an echocardiography technician must perform before and after each patient contact?
- Don sterile gloves
- Perform hand hygiene with soap or alcohol-based sanitizer (Correct answer)
- Change the transducer probe
- Wear a full face shield
Correct answer: Perform hand hygiene with soap or alcohol-based sanitizer
Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure to prevent healthcare-associated infections and is required before and after every patient contact.
Question 4: When disinfecting an ultrasound transducer after a routine transthoracic study, which level of disinfection is required?
- Sterilization
- High-level disinfection
- Low-level disinfection (Correct answer)
- Intermediate-level disinfection
Correct answer: Low-level disinfection
Transducers used for non-invasive transthoracic studies contact only intact skin and require low-level disinfection per CDC guidelines.
Question 5: A patient develops shortness of breath and oxygen saturation drops to 88% during a stress echocardiogram. What is the technician's first action?
- Continue the protocol to capture peak stress images
- Immediately terminate the stress test and notify the supervising physician (Correct answer)
- Reduce treadmill speed to a slower pace
- Administer supplemental oxygen independently
Correct answer: Immediately terminate the stress test and notify the supervising physician
Significant hypoxia is an absolute indication to stop a stress test; the technician must stop the test and alert the supervising physician immediately.
Question 6: Which of the following is a contraindication to performing an exercise stress echocardiogram?
- Well-controlled hypertension
- Mild aortic stenosis with no symptoms
- Acute myocardial infarction within the past 2 days (Correct answer)
- Stable angina with preserved LV function
Correct answer: Acute myocardial infarction within the past 2 days
Acute myocardial infarction is an absolute contraindication to stress testing due to risk of life-threatening arrhythmia or cardiogenic shock.
Question 7: What does the ALARA principle mean in the context of diagnostic ultrasound?
- Always use the highest frequency transducer available
- Keep acoustic output as low as reasonably achievable while obtaining diagnostic images (Correct answer)
- Limit examination time to no more than 10 minutes
- Apply maximum gain settings to enhance image brightness
Correct answer: Keep acoustic output as low as reasonably achievable while obtaining diagnostic images
ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) instructs operators to minimize ultrasound exposure while still obtaining clinically useful images.
Echocardiogram Patient Care and Safety in Echocardiography 1
Before performing a transthoracic echocardiogram, what is the most important safety step regarding patient identification?