Fresenius PCT Exam Prep Bundle | Real
Exam Questions and Complete Answers
with Step-by-Step Solutions (Already
Passed A+) 2026/2027
• what is the glomerular filtration rate in the five stages of kidney disease? -
✓✓flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidney
stage 1: 90+
stage 2:60-89
stage 3: 30-59
stage 4: 15-29
stage 5: <15
• what are the types and stages of kidney failure? -✓✓acute renal failure: sudden
onset, severe, usually reversible. can be caused by drug toxicity, dehydration, or
motor vehicle accident
Chronic renal failure: slow onset, progressive, permanent. can be caused by
diabetes, hypertension, or genetic disease such as glomerulonephritis or
nephrosclerosis
• what are the signs and symptoms of renal failure or uremia? -✓✓elevated serum
levels of BUN/Creatinine, phosphorus, potassium. anemia, nerve damage, yellow-
gray appearance of skin, fluid overload, dyspnea, edema, hypertension, proteinuria,
uremia, lethargy, weakness, headache, itching, fatigue, nausea restlessness, mental
change, loss of appetite.
• what is anemia and how is it treated? -✓✓lack of RBC (decreased or lack of
erythropoietin production). iron binds with hemoglobin in RBC and transports
oxygen. it is treated using erythropoieting stimulating agents and usually
administered IV.
• which of the functions of healthy kidneys are replaced by dialysis? -✓✓removal
of waste products and regulation of fluid balance. dialysis does not regulate
endocrine production
,• list briefly and describe three modalities of treatment for end stage renal disease -
✓✓Hemodialysis: uses vascular access to draw blood from patient and send to
dialyzer and into semipermeable membrane where diffusion removes waste
products and ultrafiltration removes fluid. provides approximately 15% of the
normal function of the kidney.
peritoneal dialysis: continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis and continuous
ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. both types use permanent catheter in highly
vascularized peritoneal cavity. dialysate is infused into peritoneal space and
allowed to dwell and then drained. excess fluid and waste is removed through
osmosis and diffusion
• what is the difference between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialyisis? -✓✓Hemo:
outpatient, dialyzer is used to remove waste from blood via diffusion and fluid is
removed through ultra filtration.
peritoneal: home setting, peritoneal membrane is the semipermeable membrane
that filters waste and fluid removal occurs via osmotic pressure and concentration
gradients caused by the dextrose solution and dwell times.
• when is it known that a patient has developed sensitivity to a dialyzer? -✓✓seen
within the first half hour of treatment. sneezing, itching, pain at access site, chest
pain, rashing, hives, fever are symptoms.
• alarm conditions -✓✓Blood: blood leak, air detector, venous/arterial pressure,
TMP. stops the blood pump therefor blood is not cleaned and no ultrafiltration.
potential for clotting due to stagnant blood
Dialysate: conductivity high/low, temperature. dialysate goes into bypass so no
cleaning of blood. uf continues.
• what are the body fluid compartments? -✓✓50-70% of body is water.
intracellular, extracellular, intravascular, interstitial.
• what is diffusion -✓✓movement of solutes across semipermeable membrane
from high concentration to low concentration. solutes include urea, electrolytes,
creatinine, drugs
• what is osmosis? -✓✓movement of fluid from lower concentration of solutes to a
higher concentration.
, • what is ultrafiltration? -✓✓use of both negative and positive pressure to pull
excess fluid from the patient
• why is water used for dialysis treated? -✓✓water contains contaminants,
electrolytes, and impurities. these must be removed bc the patients are exposed to
large volumes of water during tx
• what is chloramine and how is it different from chlorine -✓✓combination of
chlorine and ammonia
• what is the diasafe filter? -✓✓found on back of hemodialysis machine that allows
for the delivery of ultrapure dialysate.
• what factors impact the rate of diffusion? -✓✓concentration gradient,
temperature, molecular weight of solutes, nature of solution, membrane
permeability, surface area, flow geometry convection (solute drag-irrespective of
molecular size, solutes are dragged along with water across dialyzer membrane as
long as solute can fit through pore "magnetic attraction")
• what happens to diffusion when dialyzer fibers clot? -✓✓diffusion is decreased.
clotted fibers cause permeability of the fiber to be reduced or eliminated.
• at what point point during the hemodialysis tx will diffusion cease to occur? -
✓✓once the concentration of each electrolyte found in the patients blood is equal
to the electrolyte concentration in the dialysate.
• what is the largest factor that impacts ultrafiltration -✓✓pressure
• what happens when the dialysate flow is turned off during treatment? -✓✓pt
blood is not cleaned and adequacy will decrease
• what are the compartments of the dialyzer and what separates them? -✓✓blood
compartment and dialysate compartment is seperated by a semi-permeable
membrane. potting material on both ends of dialyzer to assure separation of blood
and dialysate
• what is a semi-permeable membrane? -✓✓A membrane made from protein, with
small pores or holes. Only certain molecules can fit through RBC and proteins are
Exam Questions and Complete Answers
with Step-by-Step Solutions (Already
Passed A+) 2026/2027
• what is the glomerular filtration rate in the five stages of kidney disease? -
✓✓flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidney
stage 1: 90+
stage 2:60-89
stage 3: 30-59
stage 4: 15-29
stage 5: <15
• what are the types and stages of kidney failure? -✓✓acute renal failure: sudden
onset, severe, usually reversible. can be caused by drug toxicity, dehydration, or
motor vehicle accident
Chronic renal failure: slow onset, progressive, permanent. can be caused by
diabetes, hypertension, or genetic disease such as glomerulonephritis or
nephrosclerosis
• what are the signs and symptoms of renal failure or uremia? -✓✓elevated serum
levels of BUN/Creatinine, phosphorus, potassium. anemia, nerve damage, yellow-
gray appearance of skin, fluid overload, dyspnea, edema, hypertension, proteinuria,
uremia, lethargy, weakness, headache, itching, fatigue, nausea restlessness, mental
change, loss of appetite.
• what is anemia and how is it treated? -✓✓lack of RBC (decreased or lack of
erythropoietin production). iron binds with hemoglobin in RBC and transports
oxygen. it is treated using erythropoieting stimulating agents and usually
administered IV.
• which of the functions of healthy kidneys are replaced by dialysis? -✓✓removal
of waste products and regulation of fluid balance. dialysis does not regulate
endocrine production
,• list briefly and describe three modalities of treatment for end stage renal disease -
✓✓Hemodialysis: uses vascular access to draw blood from patient and send to
dialyzer and into semipermeable membrane where diffusion removes waste
products and ultrafiltration removes fluid. provides approximately 15% of the
normal function of the kidney.
peritoneal dialysis: continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis and continuous
ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. both types use permanent catheter in highly
vascularized peritoneal cavity. dialysate is infused into peritoneal space and
allowed to dwell and then drained. excess fluid and waste is removed through
osmosis and diffusion
• what is the difference between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialyisis? -✓✓Hemo:
outpatient, dialyzer is used to remove waste from blood via diffusion and fluid is
removed through ultra filtration.
peritoneal: home setting, peritoneal membrane is the semipermeable membrane
that filters waste and fluid removal occurs via osmotic pressure and concentration
gradients caused by the dextrose solution and dwell times.
• when is it known that a patient has developed sensitivity to a dialyzer? -✓✓seen
within the first half hour of treatment. sneezing, itching, pain at access site, chest
pain, rashing, hives, fever are symptoms.
• alarm conditions -✓✓Blood: blood leak, air detector, venous/arterial pressure,
TMP. stops the blood pump therefor blood is not cleaned and no ultrafiltration.
potential for clotting due to stagnant blood
Dialysate: conductivity high/low, temperature. dialysate goes into bypass so no
cleaning of blood. uf continues.
• what are the body fluid compartments? -✓✓50-70% of body is water.
intracellular, extracellular, intravascular, interstitial.
• what is diffusion -✓✓movement of solutes across semipermeable membrane
from high concentration to low concentration. solutes include urea, electrolytes,
creatinine, drugs
• what is osmosis? -✓✓movement of fluid from lower concentration of solutes to a
higher concentration.
, • what is ultrafiltration? -✓✓use of both negative and positive pressure to pull
excess fluid from the patient
• why is water used for dialysis treated? -✓✓water contains contaminants,
electrolytes, and impurities. these must be removed bc the patients are exposed to
large volumes of water during tx
• what is chloramine and how is it different from chlorine -✓✓combination of
chlorine and ammonia
• what is the diasafe filter? -✓✓found on back of hemodialysis machine that allows
for the delivery of ultrapure dialysate.
• what factors impact the rate of diffusion? -✓✓concentration gradient,
temperature, molecular weight of solutes, nature of solution, membrane
permeability, surface area, flow geometry convection (solute drag-irrespective of
molecular size, solutes are dragged along with water across dialyzer membrane as
long as solute can fit through pore "magnetic attraction")
• what happens to diffusion when dialyzer fibers clot? -✓✓diffusion is decreased.
clotted fibers cause permeability of the fiber to be reduced or eliminated.
• at what point point during the hemodialysis tx will diffusion cease to occur? -
✓✓once the concentration of each electrolyte found in the patients blood is equal
to the electrolyte concentration in the dialysate.
• what is the largest factor that impacts ultrafiltration -✓✓pressure
• what happens when the dialysate flow is turned off during treatment? -✓✓pt
blood is not cleaned and adequacy will decrease
• what are the compartments of the dialyzer and what separates them? -✓✓blood
compartment and dialysate compartment is seperated by a semi-permeable
membrane. potting material on both ends of dialyzer to assure separation of blood
and dialysate
• what is a semi-permeable membrane? -✓✓A membrane made from protein, with
small pores or holes. Only certain molecules can fit through RBC and proteins are
