A Sentinel Event Is Usually One That Results in an Unexpected

question 9

Multiple Choice

A sentinel event is usually one that results in an unexpected outcome for the patient and "signals" the need for investigation and response.Which of the following would be considered a sentinel event?

• A)A patient with a brain tumor who falls and breaks his wrist after trying to get up by himself
• B)A 32-year-old woman with no significant health history who dies in the operating room during an elective surgical procedure
• C)A patient who self-extubates after cardiac surgery
• D)A patient who is given the wrong bolus of heparin that is corrected with the first prothrombin time

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Definitions:

Codons

Sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that specify the addition of a specific amino acid into a polypeptide chain during protein synthesis.

Anticodons

The three-nucleotide sequences on tRNA that are complementary to the codons on mRNA, important for the translation phase of protein synthesis.

mRNA

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a type of RNA that conveys genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where it specifies the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression.

tRNA

Transfer RNA; a type of RNA molecule that helps decode a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence into a protein during protein synthesis.