AMT RPT flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Standard precautions

Infection control practices applied to all patients regardless of diagnosis: hand hygiene, gloves when contact with blood or body fluids is possible, and additional PPE for splash risk.

Sharps container fill limit

Sharps containers are replaced when three-quarters full; overfilling allows needles to protrude and prevents the lid from closing, creating injury and exposure risk.

Hand hygiene duration

Soap-and-water handwashing lasts at least 20 seconds, while alcohol-based hand rub requires 20 to 30 seconds of friction until the hands feel dry.

N95 respirator indications

An N95 respirator is worn for airborne isolation, including tuberculosis, varicella, and measles, and is fit-checked before room entry and removed after exit.

Post-exposure needlestick procedure

Wash the puncture site with soap and water, flush mucous membranes, report the exposure immediately, and complete the facility evaluation, which may include HIV prophylaxis and hepatitis testing.

Biohazard label meaning

A biohazard label identifies containers, bags, or equipment holding blood or other potentially infectious material; red bags and red containers are considered labeled.

Two patient identifiers

Acceptable identifiers are the full name plus date of birth or medical record number; bed number, room number, and diagnosis are never acceptable identifiers.

Basal state collection

Basal specimens are obtained after 8 to 12 hours of fasting and about 30 minutes of rest; prolonged fasting increases hemoconcentration and bilirubin concentration.

Prolonged tourniquet effects

Tourniquet application longer than one minute causes hemoconcentration and falsely elevates potassium, lactate, protein, and bilirubin; the tourniquet is released once blood flows.

Fist pumping during collection

The patient opens and closes the fist gently; vigorous pumping raises potassium and lactate and increases hemolysis, so it is avoided during venipuncture.

Syncope-safe positioning

Seat the patient with the arm supported, or place the patient supine with legs elevated when there is a fainting history; a standing patient is never bled.

Venipuncture needle angle

Insert the needle bevel up at 15 to 30 degrees; after blood flows, lower the angle toward parallel and advance slightly to keep the bevel inside the lumen.

Order of draw rationale

The CLSI sequence prevents additive carryover between tubes; EDTA is drawn after chemistry tubes so potassium and calcium-chelating additives do not contaminate serum or heparin specimens.

Butterfly discard tube

When coagulation tubes are collected with a winged set, a discard tube is drawn first to fill the tubing dead space; otherwise the citrate tube is underfilled and rejected.

Capillary first drop

The first drop of a dermal puncture is wiped away because it contains tissue fluid that dilutes the specimen; a fresh freely forming drop is then collected.

Infant heel stick depth

Lancet depth for an infant heel stick must not exceed 2 mm because the calcaneus lies close to the skin; deeper puncture can cause bone injury or osteochondritis.

Heel stick puncture site

Puncture the lateral or medial plantar surface of the heel; the central heel, toes, and previously punctured areas are avoided because of underlying bone and nerve proximity.

Bedside labeling requirement

Tubes are labeled at the patient's side immediately after collection with full name, second identifier, date, time, and collector initials; pre-labeling before collection is prohibited.

Citrate tube fill ratio

Sodium citrate tubes require nine parts blood to one part anticoagulant and must be filled to the marked volume; underfilled tubes cause falsely prolonged coagulation results and are rejected.

Additive tube inversion counts

Invert EDTA and heparin tubes 8 to 10 times, citrate tubes 3 to 4 times, and serum tubes 5 times; shaking causes hemolysis while inadequate mixing causes microclots.

Specimens requiring ice

Ammonia, blood gas, and lactate specimens are transported on ice, whereas cryoglobulins and cold agglutinins are maintained at 37 degrees Celsius during transport.

Chain of custody seal

Forensic specimens are sealed with tamper-evident tape, labeled, and documented at every handoff with date, time, and signatures so the chain remains unbroken.

Scope of practice limit

A phlebotomy technician may collect, label, handle, process, and transport specimens but may not interpret laboratory results or order tests independently.

Standard of care definition

The degree of care and skill a reasonably competent phlebotomist would provide under similar circumstances; falling below that level supports a negligence claim.

Patient right to refuse

A competent patient may decline any procedure; the refusal is documented, the ordering provider is notified, and no specimen is collected against the patient's will.

HIPAA privacy principle

Protected health information may be disclosed only for treatment, payment, or operations; discussing results in hallways, elevators, or waiting rooms violates patient privacy rules.

Mandatory abuse reporting

Suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or neglect must be reported to the designated authority under state law, and patient permission is not required for the report.

Quality control versus assurance

Quality control tests the analytic system using control materials, while quality assurance covers the entire process from order entry through result reporting.

Westgard 1-3s rule

A single control result that exceeds the mean by three standard deviations rejects the run; patient testing stops until the cause is found and corrective action is documented.

Blood culture contamination rate

Contamination should remain at or below 3 percent of collected cultures; higher rates increase unnecessary antibiotics, extended length of stay, and hospital costs.

Delta check purpose

A delta check compares a current result with the patient's previous result to flag specimen mix-ups, labeling errors, or a genuine rapid change in analyte concentration.

Root cause analysis

A structured review of an error that identifies underlying system causes and designs documented corrective actions intended to prevent the same problem from recurring.