Certified Hemodialysis Technologist/Technician Exam Dialyzer Reprocessing and Reuse 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which patient population should NOT receive reprocessed dialyzers according to infection control principles?
- Elderly patients over 65
- HIV-positive patients only
- Patients with known or suspected prion disease (CJD) (Correct answer)
- Diabetic patients
Correct answer: Patients with known or suspected prion disease (CJD)
Patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) or other prion diseases must not receive reprocessed dialyzers because prions cannot be inactivated by standard germicides.
Question 2: After reprocessing, dialyzers must be stored at what temperature to maintain germicide efficacy?
- Below 4°C (refrigerated)
- Room temperature 20-25°C (Correct answer)
- Body temperature 37°C
- Above 45°C
Correct answer: Room temperature 20-25°C
Reprocessed dialyzers stored at room temperature (20-25°C) maintain appropriate germicide activity and are accessible for verification testing before use.
Question 3: Proper labeling of a reprocessed dialyzer must include:
- Only the patient's name
- Patient name, patient ID, number of uses, and date of reprocessing (Correct answer)
- Date of reprocessing only
- Dialyzer model number only
Correct answer: Patient name, patient ID, number of uses, and date of reprocessing
Reprocessed dialyzers must be labeled with the patient's name, ID, use count, and reprocessing date to ensure proper patient-specific tracking and safety.
Question 4: When manually cleaning a dialyzer during reprocessing, water used for rinsing must meet which standard?
- Standard tap water quality
- AAMI dialysis-grade water quality (Correct answer)
- Distilled water only
- Sterile injectable water
Correct answer: AAMI dialysis-grade water quality
All water used in dialyzer reprocessing must meet AAMI dialysis-quality water standards to prevent contamination of the dialyzer with chemical or microbial impurities.
Question 5: A reprocessed dialyzer with visible clotted blood remaining in the fiber bundle after cleaning should be:
- Used if it passes the blood leak test
- Discarded immediately (Correct answer)
- Soaked longer in germicide only
- Used for one additional treatment only
Correct answer: Discarded immediately
Visible clotted blood indicates inadequate cleaning, potentially harboring microorganisms; such dialyzers must be discarded regardless of other test results.
Question 6: The Kt/V adequacy target for hemodialysis patients according to KDOQI guidelines is a minimum of:
- 0.8 per session
- 1.2 per session (Correct answer)
- 1.8 per session
- 2.5 per session
Correct answer: 1.2 per session
KDOQI guidelines recommend a minimum delivered Kt/V of 1.2 per hemodialysis session to ensure adequate small-molecule solute removal.
Certified Hemodialysis Technologist/Technician Exam Dialyzer Reprocessing and Reuse 2
Which patient population should NOT receive reprocessed dialyzers according to infection control principles?