Practice Test Geeks(VABC) Vascular Access Board Certification Practice Test
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Complication Management Flashcards

7 cards from real VABC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. A patient on home TPN through a tunneled CVC spikes a fever. Blood cultures are drawn and the catheter is retained. After 72 hours, cultures remain positive for Candida albicans. What is the correct management?

    Answer: Remove the catheter and initiate antifungal therapy for at least 14 days after last positive culture

    Candida CRBSI mandates catheter removal; antifungal therapy should continue for at least 14 days after the last positive blood culture per IDSA guidelines.

  2. A nurse notes a PICC dressing that is damp and lifting at the edges. The patient is afebrile and the insertion site looks clean. What is the correct action?

    Answer: Perform a complete dressing change using aseptic technique

    A compromised dressing — even without site infection signs — must be changed immediately using aseptic technique to prevent bacterial entry and CRBSI.

  3. During power injection of contrast through a power-injectable PICC, the patient reports sudden chest pain and the monitor shows bradycardia. What complication should be suspected?

    Answer: Catheter tip migration into the right atrium causing arrhythmia

    Sudden chest pain with arrhythmia during contrast injection suggests catheter tip migration into the right atrium or ventricle, causing cardiac irritation.

  4. A patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD stage 4) requires short-term IV antibiotics. Which vascular access type is preferred to preserve future dialysis access sites?

    Answer: Internal jugular central venous catheter

    In CKD patients, the subclavian vein should be avoided due to stenosis risk, and peripheral arm veins preserved for fistula creation; an internal jugular CVC is preferred for short-term access.

  5. What is the hallmark physical finding of a post-insertion pneumothorax following subclavian vein catheterization?

    Answer: Decreased or absent breath sounds with hyperresonance on the ipsilateral side

    Pneumothorax presents with decreased or absent breath sounds and hyperresonance to percussion on the side of the catheter insertion due to air in the pleural space.

  6. A vascular access nurse discovers that a patient's implanted port has a crack in the catheter body identified on chest X-ray after the patient reported feeling resistance when flushing. What is the most serious risk of this finding?

    Answer: Catheter embolism if a fragment breaks off into the bloodstream

    A cracked catheter body risks fracture and embolism of the catheter fragment into the pulmonary vasculature or heart, requiring urgent interventional retrieval.

  7. Which intervention is most effective in reducing needleless connector-related CRBSI in ICU patients?

    Answer: Consistent scrubbing of the hub with 70% alcohol for at least 15 seconds before access

    Vigorous scrubbing of needleless connectors with 70% alcohol for at least 15 seconds (scrub the hub) before each access is the most evidence-based method to reduce hub-related CRBSI.