Risk Assessment & Mitigation Flashcards
7 cards from real CET practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Assessment & Mitigation flashcards as text
A patient arrives for a dobutamine stress echo and mentions they took their atenolol dose one hour ago. The sonographer should:
Answer: Notify the physician, as beta-blockers blunt the heart rate response and may invalidate the stress protocol
Beta-blockers blunt the chronotropic response to dobutamine, potentially preventing achievement of target heart rate and compromising study diagnostic validity.
What is the PRIMARY purpose of having an emergency action plan (EAP) posted in the echocardiography laboratory?
Answer: To ensure all staff can respond rapidly and consistently to life-threatening patient events
An EAP provides a standardized, rehearsed response framework so staff can act efficiently during cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, or other critical events in the lab.
A sonographer is performing a TEE on a sedated patient who suddenly becomes apneic. After calling for help, the NEXT step is to:
Answer: Remove the TEE probe and open the patient's airway using head-tilt chin-lift or jaw thrust
An obstructed or compromised airway takes absolute priority; the TEE probe must be removed immediately to allow effective airway opening and ventilation.
When using a mechanical index (MI) above 1.9 during contrast echocardiography, the primary patient safety concern is:
Answer: Microbubble destruction causing capillary microhemorrhage in sensitive tissues
High MI can cause inertial cavitation of contrast microbubbles, potentially resulting in microhemorrhage particularly in pulmonary capillaries.
A 68-year-old patient reports dysphagia and odynophagia during a TEE procedure. The sonographer's appropriate response is to:
Answer: Stop the procedure, remove the probe, and document the symptom for physician review
Dysphagia and odynophagia during TEE may indicate esophageal trauma and mandate immediate procedure termination and physician notification.
Which of the following is the MOST important reason to verify a patient's NPO (nothing by mouth) status before TEE?
Answer: To reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia during sedation and probe insertion
An empty stomach significantly reduces aspiration risk if the patient vomits during sedation or in response to the TEE probe stimulating the gag reflex.
A CET encounters a patient with a pacemaker exhibiting a demand pacing mode during TTE. Which risk must the sonographer be aware of related to the imaging environment?
Answer: Strong external electromagnetic fields near some echo equipment can transiently inhibit demand pacemakers
Demand pacemakers sense intrinsic electrical activity and can be transiently inhibited by electromagnetic interference generated near certain medical equipment.