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The CPDN exam has 150 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free CPDN questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
An adult using automated peritoneal dialysis develops new abdominal pain. Effluent from a 45-minute dwell contains 78 white cells/µL, with 84% neutrophils. The patient is afebrile and hemodynamically stable, and an effluent specimen has been sent for culture. How should the nurse act on these findings?
Correct answer: B - Arrange prompt empiric intraperitoneal antibiotics as prescribed.
PD review findings: four-hour dialysate-to-plasma creatinine ratio 0.89; unobstructed catheter drainage; repeatedly negative net ultrafiltration during a ten-hour glucose-based dwell. Which prescription modification best fits this transport pattern?
Correct answer: D - Shorten glucose-based dwells and consider icodextrin for the long dwell.
An insulin-treated patient using icodextrin becomes sweaty and tremulous. A bedside meter using a GDH-PQQ method reads 268 mg/dL, while a simultaneously collected laboratory sample measured with a glucose-specific method shows 41 mg/dL. The patient is alert and can swallow safely. What takes priority?
Correct answer: C - Give 15 g of rapid carbohydrate and recheck with a compatible method in 15 minutes.
A patient reports repeated low-drain alarms after several days without a bowel movement. Inflow remains normal. The abdomen is soft, effluent is clear, and there is no fever, vomiting, or visible fibrin. Clamps, external tubing, and patient positioning have been checked. The next nursing intervention should be to:
Correct answer: C - Implement the prescribed bowel regimen and reassess catheter outflow.
Urgent-start PD has been selected for a stable hospitalized adult 48 hours after catheter insertion. Which combination of fill volume and body position best protects the healing catheter tract?
Correct answer: D - Low-volume exchanges performed with the patient supine.
At a PD follow-up visit, hemoglobin is 9.2 g/dL, ferritin is 180 ng/mL, and transferrin saturation is 18%. The patient receives a stable erythropoiesis-stimulating agent dose but no iron replacement. There is no active infection or bleeding. Under the KDIGO 2026 PD anemia pathway, which recommendation addresses a correctable contributor?
Correct answer: A - Discuss iron replacement before increasing the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent dose.
Ten days after starting PD, a patient develops breathlessness that worsens during fills and improves after drainage. Imaging shows a large right pleural effusion with a clear left lung. Drain volumes have fallen, but weight is unchanged and peripheral edema is absent. What is the most likely explanation for these respiratory findings?
Correct answer: C - Dialysate leakage through a pleuroperitoneal communication.
Annual PD quality data show 18 peritonitis episodes affecting 12 patients during 360 patient-months at risk; none is a relapse. Which dashboard entry correctly annualizes the incidence and compares it with the ISPD target?
Correct answer: A - 0.60 episodes per patient-year; the rate is above target.
During PD training, a 78-year-old repeatedly selects the wrong solution when relying on bag colors. With a hand magnifier, the patient reads the printed concentration accurately. Memory, judgment, and connector handling are intact, and the patient wants to select and use the bags independently. Which adaptation most directly addresses the observed difficulty?
Correct answer: A - Practice reading the printed concentration with the magnifier under good lighting.
The spouse who will perform a patient's CAPD explains aseptic technique accurately and passes the written assessment. During practice, the nurse still gives prompts to prevent contact with the sterile connector. Before approving the spouse to carry out exchanges alone, the nurse needs to observe:
Correct answer: B - An entire exchange completed safely without prompting.
The CPDN exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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