Interventions Flashcards
6 cards from real CCHT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Interventions flashcards as text
A patient develops hypotension (BP 80/50) during dialysis with associated diaphoresis and pallor. After stopping ultrafiltration, what is the next immediate intervention?
Answer: Place patient in Trendelenburg position and administer a normal saline bolus
Trendelenburg positioning (legs elevated) increases venous return to the heart, and saline bolus rapidly expands intravascular volume to treat dialysis-induced hypotension.
What is the first-line intervention for a patient experiencing first-use syndrome during hemodialysis?
Answer: Stop dialysis, clamp and discard blood lines, administer antihistamine and notify physician
First-use syndrome (Type A anaphylactic reaction) requires immediate treatment discontinuation with blood discarded (not returned), antihistamine administration, and physician notification.
During hemodialysis, a patient develops sudden severe chest pain, dyspnea, and becomes cyanotic. The blood in the venous line appears pink/clear instead of dark red. What emergency is occurring?
Answer: Hemolysis (red cell destruction from mechanical or chemical causes)
Pink/clear blood (hemolyzed blood) indicates massive hemolysis, a life-threatening dialysis emergency where red blood cells are being destroyed.
What is the appropriate response when a dialysis patient develops seizures during treatment?
Answer: Protect the patient from injury, stop UF, reduce blood pump speed, notify nurse/physician, and prepare to terminate treatment
Seizures during dialysis require patient protection from injury, immediate reduction in treatment intensity, and urgent notification of the nurse and physician.
A patient on hemodialysis suddenly develops fever of 39.5 degrees C and shaking chills during treatment. What is the most likely cause and appropriate action?
Answer: Pyrogen reaction or bacteremia; stop treatment, take blood cultures, notify physician, administer antipyretics as ordered
Fever with rigors during dialysis suggests pyrogen reaction (bacterial endotoxin contamination) or bacteremia from the vascular access, requiring immediate evaluation.
What is the correct initial management of a suspected air embolism during hemodialysis?
Answer: Clamp the venous line, place patient in left lateral decubitus Trendelenburg position, stop blood pump, call for help
Left lateral decubitus Trendelenburg position traps air in the right atrium apex (away from pulmonary artery), while clamping the venous line and stopping the pump prevents further air entry.