CPCT Study Guide Flashcards

Flashcards covering key concepts and terminology from the CPCT (Certified Patient Care Technician) study guide.

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Requires basic safety practices to protect employees from hazards in the workplace.

Biological Hazards

Damage caused by infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, or fungus; allergic reactions are also part of these hazards.

Chemical Hazards

Damage caused by chemicals used in the medical laboratory; exposure to toxic, carcinogenic, or caustic substances is possible.

Radiological Hazards

Damage caused by radiation; widely used in the medical field for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, but is not recognized by the senses and requires specialized equipment for detection.

Electrical Hazards

High-voltage equipment can cause burns and shock; can be prevented by avoiding extension cords, grounding equipment, drying hands, and keeping devices away from water.

Fire or explosive Hazards

Bunsen burners, oxygen, and chemicals can cause burns or dismemberment; must know office policies, exit routes, and follow RACE (Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish) to prevent damage.

Physical Hazards

Wet floors and heavy lifting can cause falls, sprains, and strains; can be avoided by wearing proper attire, walking (not running), avoiding over-reaching, using transportation belts, and lifting with legs.

Infectious diseases

Damage to tissues or organs resulting from the activity or presence of living micro-organisms.

Pathogen

Disease causing micro-organism.

Chain of infection

Agent, Reservoir Host, Portal of Exit, Mode of Transmission, Portal of Entry, Susceptible Host

Standard Precautions

To protect all healthcare providers, patients and their visitors or family members from infectious diseases.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Gloves, eye and facial protection, protective clothing and resuscitation equipment.

Patient Identification

The process of verifying a patient’s identity, it is the first and most important step of any medical examination, procedure or specimen collection.

Symptom

Sensation that is only perceived by the patient.

Clinical Signs

Finding or a change detected by the doctor or medical personnel during a physical examination.

Chief Complaint

The patient states as the reason for seeking medical care. This is a symptom.

History of Present Illness (HPI)

A detailed in time description of detailed changes of the chief complaint.

SOAP

Patient interview information to define the steps in Charting of the patient’s information; Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan.

Complete Physical Examination

Includes vital signs and body measurements, examination of all the body systems starting at the head and proceeds all the way to the toes.

Vital signs

Temperature, Respiratory rate, Pulse and Blood pressure.

The center of temperature control.

Hypothalamus

Trendelenburg’s Position uses:

Low blood volume, hypotension (low blood pressure) or shock, and in some surgical procedures.

Body temperature

Balance between heat production and heat loss.

Fever

Increase of body temperature above normal range (98.6 degree F or 37 degrees C).

Oral temperature

The most common method of measurement; however it is not taken from non cooperating patient.

Respiration

Act of breathing, inhaling and exhaling of gases for energy. When measuring respiration, respiratory characteristics such as rate, rhythm, and depth are taken into account

Pulse

Is defined as the rhythmical throbbing of arteries produced by the regular contractions of the heart, that helps propel the blood toward the tissues and reducing the vascular resistance.

Blood Pressure

This is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. The force is produced by heart contraction and blood volume.

Medical record

A written account of a patient’s condition and response to treatment and care, it is a permanent legal document should be carefully recorded and updated according to law.

Admission

The official entry of a patient into a health care facility, involves several steps from completing records to preparing the room.

Bath Blanket

A light weight blanket used to provide warmth and privacy when changing the bed while the patient is in the bed.

Draw sheet

A small sheet that is placed over the middle of the bottom sheet that is used to lift or move the patient in bed.

Preventing Orthostatic Hypotension

Orthostatic Hypotension is a sudden drop in blood pressure when the patient changes position from lying to sitting or standing up, with signs of dizziness or fainting.

Incontinence

The inability of the patient to control his or her urination or defecation process.

Catheter

Tube used to drain fluids into or out of the body. A urinary catheter is a tube used to drain urine out of the bladder.

Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)

Used to detect the presence of hidden blood in stools.

Hypoxia signs

The patient can not maintain the normal blood levels of oxygen.

IV Therapy

It is giving fluids through a needle or a catheter inserted into a vein, to Provide fluids and minerals when the person can not take fluids by mouth, Replace water and minerals lost during illness or injury, Provide sugar for energy and Provide drugs for treatment.

Roles of Patient Care technician in surgical patient care:

Easy the patient’s fear and anxiety and prepare the patient before the surgical procedure.

Assisting with patient’s Blood Circulation

Are exercises and special devices used to prevent blood clots

Surgical wounds

Opening of the skin and mucosa made to reach deep structures during a surgical procedure

Traumatic wounds

Are injuries to the skin caused by trauma or accident

Heart

Hollow muscular organ located in the thoracic cavity between the lungs.

Endocardium

The innermost layer of the heart, thin layer of epithelium very similar to vessels’ endothelium, which covers the inside part of the heart.

Myocardium

Middle and contractile layer of the heart, made up of special striated muscle fibers with strong connection with each other.

Pericardium

Outermost layer of the heart attached with ligaments to the spinal column and diaphragm fixing the heart in its position.

Heart Valves

Prevents backflow of blood thereby assuring uni-directional flow thru the heart, located between the atria and ventricles.

Systole

Period of contractions of both Arial and Ventricles

Diastole

Period of relaxation and filling of all cardiac chambers

Heart as a Pump

The blood volume ejected outside the heart is equal to the blood volume returning back into the heart

Starling Law

Stroke Volume is the blood volume ejected outside the ventricle after each contraction.

Cardiac Output

Amount of blood ejected outside the heart per minute.

Peripheral Vascular Resistance

Force exerted against the blood flow and is determined by the diameter of the vessel.

Blood Pressure

Force exerted by circulating blood volume on the walls of the artery during circulation.

EKG

graphical presentation of heart electricity (voltage) over time.

Automaticity

Ability to spontaneously trigger electrical impulses without being stimulated by another source

Excitability

Ability to respond and react to a stimulus.

Conductivity

Ability to receive and transmit electrical impulses to adjacent cells.

Contractility

A myocardial cell’s ability to shorten (or contract) in response to a stimulus.

EKG Fundamentals

Galvanometer that measures the heart electricity traveling through the conductive system

Electrode

Sensor placed on the patient’s skin on a specific location and transmits it to the cable

Lead

Recorded tracing of the heart electricity, that provides a specific view of the heart.

Atrial Flutter

Rapid depolarization of a single atrial focus at a rate of 250-350 bpm.

Ventricular Fibrillation

Is produced by multiple electrical sites firing electrical impulses at the same time resulting in quivering of the ventricles myocardial muscle fibers, but not a uniform contraction.

AV Blocks

Defined as a delay or interruption of the electric impulse conduction beyond the AV node.

Ischemia

Insufficient blood supply to the myocardium. Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is the most common cause of the blood supply reduction.

Myocardial Infarction

Sudden death of the myocardial tissue due to an abrupt cessation of the blood flow.

Artifact

Is an unwanted interference or jitter on the EKG recording.

Somatic Tremor

It is a jittery pattern caused by the patient’s shivering or by shaking wires.

Wandering Baseline

When the baseline moves up and down on the EKG paper.

Stress Testing

This is a noninvasive diagnostic procedure to determine indirectly, the presence and severity of coronary artery disease and the heart muscle lack of blood supply.

Holter Monitor

To rule out intermittent arrhythmias or ischemia that could be missed on a routine EKG.

Epinephrine

A sympathetic drug used to manage cardiac arrest, because increases heart contractibility.

Dopamine

This drug is indicated and is used in cases with hypotension (systolic blood pressure is less than 90 mmHg). It causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessel).

Digitalis

Is a drug with high toxicity, therefore patients require constant monitoring.

Infection Control in Phlebotomy risks

Sample contamination, HIV and HBV

Blood average liters adult

5 to 6 liters

White blood cells WBC (leukocytes)

Provide protection against infection.

Hemostasis

Stop the bleeding.

Primary Hemostasis

Bleeding time test is used to evaluate what phase ?

Electrocardiogram testing use

Used to diagnoses and evaluate patients as: Monitoring patient’s HR, Evaluates injuries to the heart muscle, Evaluates the pacemakers.

Prevent or speed blood clotting

In an evacuated tube the top part color defines what?

Inhibits coagulation

Lavender Top Tube additive what?

Serum Separator Tube

This refers to a gel that fastens the coagulation process and is found in what color tube

Glucose, cholesterol, sodium and potassium.

Some examples of chemistry laboratory tests would be what?

Antecubital veins

Most common sites for phlebotomy.

Vacutainer needles

What are 1-inch and 1.5-inch used for?

The venous outflow

What do Tourniquets prevent ?

HIV and HBV

Blood borne pathogen.

Discard needle in biohazard container

After a phlebotomy you are to do this step.

Hematoma

Swelling that contains blood.

Unopette Blood Dilution System

Short capillary tube ending with an overflow chamber, a reservoir for collecting the blood sample and a pipe shield

Check patient ID and secure his/her consent.

It is necessary to obtain blood for a procedure to ensure that?

Skin Infection and Allergies

What can cause infections in the surrounding tissues?

Light-sensitive

These are specimens that should be protected from light.

PKU

Genetic disease that causes mental retardation and brain damage.

Chilled specimens

Some tests require that the specimen collected be chilled immediately after collection in crushed ice or ice and water mixture

Hemoconcentration

Caused by the tourniquet being left on too long (more than two (2) minutes).