Needling Precautions Flashcards
7 cards from real NCCAOM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Needling Precautions flashcards as text
During a treatment session, a patient reports feeling faint, appears pale, and is sweating. The practitioner's FIRST action should be:
Answer: Remove all needles immediately, have the patient lie down, and provide warmth and reassurance
Needle shock (acupuncture syncope) requires immediate needle removal and positioning the patient supine to restore circulation before any other intervention.
Which of the following patient positions most significantly reduces the risk of needle shock during treatment?
Answer: Supine position, especially for first-time patients or those who are anxious
Supine position prevents the drop in cerebral perfusion that occurs with vasovagal syncope, making it the safest position for anxious or first-time acupuncture patients.
A filiform needle becomes bent during treatment. The correct procedure is to:
Answer: Remove it gently along the angle of the bend without straightening, then discard it
A bent needle should be carefully withdrawn following the curve of the bend to avoid tissue trauma or breakage, then discarded as a single-use item.
When a needle breaks at the skin surface during treatment, the practitioner should:
Answer: Keep the patient still, expose the area by pressing adjacent tissue, attempt to grasp the fragment with forceps, and refer for surgical removal if unsuccessful
A broken needle requires immobilizing the patient to prevent migration, attempting forceps extraction if the fragment is visible, and referring for surgical removal if it cannot be retrieved.
The proper route for disposal of used acupuncture needles in the United States is:
Answer: In an approved sharps container that is sealed and disposed of through a regulated medical waste service
Used acupuncture needles are regulated medical sharps waste and must be placed in an approved puncture-resistant sharps container and disposed of through licensed medical waste channels.
Electroacupuncture leads should NEVER be connected across which anatomical regions?
Answer: Across the midline of the chest or directly over the heart
Electrical current passing across the chest and through the heart can disrupt cardiac rhythm and cause arrhythmia or fibrillation.
Which factor most increases the risk of a 'stuck needle' (needle difficult to remove) during a treatment?
Answer: Excessive muscle spasm or strong involuntary contraction around the needle shaft
Muscle spasm or intense contraction around the needle (contracture) is the most common cause of a stuck needle and requires local relaxation techniques before removal.