Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse (CCTN) Practice Exam

The Panel Reactive Antibody (PRA) value is an important measure that indicates the level of sensitization in a transplant recipient. Sensitization occurs when a patient's immune system has been exposed to foreign antigens, potentially resulting in the formation of antibodies against those antigens. The primary factors contributing to the sensitization reflected in the PRA value include previous pregnancies, blood transfusions, or transplantations. For example, if a woman has been pregnant and the fetus had antigens from the father that the mother did not possess, she might develop antibodies against those antigens, resulting in sensitization. Similarly, patients who have had blood transfusions can also develop antibodies against mismatched antigens present in donor blood. If a patient has undergone previous transplants, they may have developed antibodies towards the antigens of the original donor, further sensitizing them for future transplants. Other options are less relevant to the PRA value. While genetic predisposition might play a role in an individual's overall immune response, it does not directly account for the development of antibodies as indicated by PRA. The nature of the organ being received is significant in the context of matching donor and recipient but does not specifically determine the sensitization level, nor does the recipient's blood type directly influence