Disinfection + Sutures Review
The washer sterilizer or washer disinfector is used to decontaminate all instruments that can tolerate water _______________________.
B) turbulence and high-pressure steam
Which of the following cleaning methods for surgical instrumentation relies on bubbles imploding, creating a vacuum that dislodges minute particles in crevices of instruments?
B) ultrasonic cleaner
The pads of the operating table are removed to expose the undersurface of the table. All surfaces of the table and pads are cleaned, with particular attention to hinges, pivotal points, and castors. It is ________ to move the table to mop and clean under the supporting post and castors.
A) always necessary
Which of the following would be appropriate for use on animate surfaces?
A) antiseptic
Many surgical departments use a ___________ system to collect and transport instruments and equipment for a surgical procedure.
A) case cart
What is the type of process the ultrasonic cleaner uses to dislodge minute particles of soil and organic debris?
A) cavitation
Unwrapped sterile supplies and instruments are prevented from touching ____________.
A) contaminated surfaces or objects
In medicine, they must be sterilized before use on a patient
A) critical items
Include vascular and urinary catheters
A) critical items
Must be sterile
A) critical items
Objects that enter sterile tissue or the vascular system
A) critical items
After this process, the instruments can be safely handled with bare hands
A) decontamination
Performed in washer sterilizer
A) decontamination
Used for noncritical items
A) decontamination
The primary goal of decontamination after every surgical procedure is to prevent
A) disease transmission
The primary advantage of ________ sterilization is its ability to penetrate wrappers and to disinfect objects that cannot tolerate heat, moisture, and the pressure of steam sterilization.
A) ethylene oxide
Which sterilization method presents the greatest exposure risk to CSPD personnel, is expensive, and requires the longest total cycle time?
A) ethylene oxide
Which of the following chemicals is a high-level disinfectant when items are immersed for 20 to 30 minutes and a sterilant if items remain immersed for 10 hours?
A) glutaraldehyde
What is the relationship of steam pressure to temperature in a steam sterilizer?
A) increased pressure increases temperature
All articles used and discarded in the course of surgery must be placed in ___________.
A) leak-proof containers
The Spaulding Method of reprocessing instruments and patient materials assigns three risk levels based on the specific region of the body the device will be used. These levels are critical risk, semicritical risk, and ________.
A) noncritical risk
An advantage of paper as a packaging material for sterilization is that it is
A) porous material
Which type of surgical instrument must NEVER be immersed in any type of mechanical decontaminating equipment?
A) powered
When instruments are received in the processing area, they are sorted and the instruments with detachable parts are disassembled. Instruments are disassembled because ________.
A) this exposes all areas so they can be properly cleaned
If formalin is used in the operating room, the surgical technologist should
A) use in a well-ventilated area and wear a mask and glove
When opening a wrapped item such as a gown on a Mayo stand, the contents and wrapper are considered sterile up to what distance from the edge of the wrapper?
B) 1 inch from the edge
A nonsterile person should approach a sterile area face forward while maintaining a distance of:
B) 12 inches
The recommended biological indicator (BI) for hydrogen peroxide gas plasma is:
B) bacillus subtilis
Regardless of the job description of the personnel participating in the clean-up following a surgical procedure, all personnel must ________.
B) be attired in personal protective equipment
Which term means the number of microbes or amount of organic debris on an object at any given time?
B) bioburden
What is the common name for the high-level disinfectant sodium hypochlorite?
B) bleach
A/an ___________system is the preferred method of transferring contaminated surgical instruments and supplies to the decontamination area. .
B) case cart
Which kind of quality control device consists of a paper that has been impregnated with a dye that changes color in the presence of a specified temperature and sterilant?
B) chemical indicator
Following a thoracotomy procedure, a patient is being transferred from the OR table to the hospital bed. When moving the patient, the primary concern is to ensure the
B) chest tubes do not become dislodged
Which of the following prep solutions provides the longest residual effect?
B) chlorhexidine
To test and monitor the efficiency of the high-vacuum sterilizer, a test known as the ________ test is performed.
B) daily air removal
What is the process in which instruments are cleaned and processed through chemical or mechanical means to make them safe for handling?
B) decontamination
________ is/are used in the operating room and elsewhere in the hospital to render objects nearly free, but not completely free, of microorganisms.
B) disinfectant
Destruction of microorganisms, except spores, by heat or chemical means
B) disinfection
Used for anesthesia equipment, gastrointestinal endoscopes, bronchoscopes
B) disinfection
Uses isopropyl alcohol 70%-90%, glutaraldehyde, and iodophor solution
B) disinfection
Which of the following concepts has replaced the previous system of assessing storage conditions and package integrity based on an arbitrary expiration designation?
B) event related
What is the term for inanimate objects that harbor microorganisms that contribute to environmental contamination?
B) fomites
Cidex™ is the trade name for which of the following methods of sterilization?
B) glutaraldehyde
Which of the following is NOT a classification of patient care items?
B) hypercritical
Which of the following should NEVER be processed by immediate-use (flash) sterilization methods?
B) implantable devices
Before opening any sterilely packaged item, what is MOST important to verify about the package?
B) integrity of package
Because paper products are difficult or impossible to decontaminate, patient's charts, x-rays, and lab documentation should be ________.
B) kept free from contamination
An item is either considered sterile or ________ sterile.
B) not
Come into contact with mucous membranes or intact skin
B) semicritical items
Laryngoscopes, bronchoscopes, and endotracheal tubes
B) semicritical items
The relationship between ________ is instrumental in the destruction of microbes with a steam sterilizer.
B) temperature, pressure, and exposure time
The process of ________________ of the operating suite follows every surgical case.
B) terminal decontamination
Following processing in the washer-sterilizer, all instruments should be placed in the ultrasonic cleaner. This process further removes particles and debris through a process called "cavitation." Because cavitation is not ________, all instruments subjected to it must first be processed in the washer-sterilizer.
C) a disinfecting or sterilizing process
________ items are items that must be sterile. These items enter sterile tissue or the vascular system.
C) critical
What term refers to a barrier, such as plastic-backed table cover, that does NOT allow for passage of liquid through it?
C) impervious
Why are large steam sterilizers loaded with space between wrapped items or trays?
C) it allows adequate circulation and penetration of stream to all surfaces
Which of the following is the type of dating system that denotes the number of the calendar day in 1 through 365/366?
C) julian
Can include bed linens, crutches, tables
C) noncritical items
Exposed to the skin but not mucous membranes
C) noncritical items
Not required to be sterile because they do not penetrate intact tissues
C) noncritical items
Stethoscopes, blood pressure, and tourniquet cuffs
C) noncritical items
All of the following are environmental specifications for the decontamination room in CSPD EXCEPT:
C) positive air pressure
Monitored by chemical and biological methods to ensure patient safety
C) sterilization
Process by which all microorganisms, including spores, are destroyed
C) sterilization
Used for surgical instruments, implants, and needles
C) sterilization
Uses steam, ethylene oxide, peracetic acid, or cobalt-60
C) sterilization
Which types of instruments must be cleaned with bristle-brushes on wires, pipe cleaners, or handheld pressure guns?
C) suction tip lumens
What is the term for the condition of a surgical technologist's skin after performing a surgical scrub?
C) surgically clean
How long should the steam biological indicator be incubated before the reading is recorded?
D) 24 hours
What is the temperature parameter for immediate use pre-vacuum steam sterilizer?
D) 270 - 272 F
A _________________ is a paper strip or specially treated tape that changes color when exposed to a specific temperature.
D) chemical monitor
_______________ is the process by which any surfaces, materials, and equipment are cleaned with specific substances that render them safe for their intended use.
D) disinfection
___________________is a highly flammable liquid that, when blended with inert gas, produces effective sterilization by destroying the DNA and protein structure of microorganisms.
D) ethylene oxide
biological indicator (BI) for the steam sterilization method is:
D) geobacillus stearothermophilus
What is the advantage of using ethylene oxide gas sterilization?
D) it is safe for heat - moisture - sensitive items
The Bowie-Dick test is performed for which sterilization method?
D) prevacuum air removal steam
Which of the following patient care items would be classified as noncritical?
D) pulse oximeter
Which sterilization method is most commonly used, safest, least expensive, and appropriate for the majority of surgical instruments?
D) saturated steam
Which of the following would be appropriate for soaking instruments covered with bioburden during a surgical procedure?
D) sterile water
The physical or chemical process by which all living microorganisms, including spores, are killed is:
D) sterilization
What is the term used to describe the process of removing all soiled linen, waste, and instruments from the room and cleaning of furniture, floors, or other contaminated surfaces in preparation for opening new supplies for a subsequent case?
D) turnover
Which of the following is the MOST appropriate method for sterilizing a rubber band?
D) vaporized hydrogen peroxide
Which of the following decontaminates instruments after an operative procedure?
D) washer sterilizer
During surgical procedures, small-bore cannulas and suction tip lumens should be flushed frequently with ________.
D) water
At a MINIMUM, a steam biological indicator should be monitored
D) weekly
Which part of the instrument reprocessing cycle is performed intraoperatively?
D) wiping with sterile water
A chemical monitor may be placed on the outside or the inside of a package, but never both.
false
All items to be gas sterilized may be wet or dry.
false
Flash sterilization should be used to sterilize instruments whenever possible.
false
Gravity displacement steam sterilizer cycles are much shorter than prevacuum cycles.
false
The central issue with reprocessing single-use items is not the patient and personal safety of the user but the cost of reprocessing.
false
An antiseptic is a chemical used to remove microorganisms on tissue.
true
Event-related sterility or terminal sterilization is based on the principle that sterilized items are assumed sterile between uses, unless environmental conditions or events interfere with the integrity of the package.
true
Growth of bacteria in a test monitor culture indicates that the sterilization process was ineffective.
true
If sterile items are stored in open bins, the bins or drawers should be shallow to prevent excess handling of the items.
true
Internal chemical indicator/integrators should be placed in the center or most challenging portion of a tray for the sterilant to reach.
true
Sterile items should be stored in areas that are separate from those used to store clean, nonsterile items.
true
Sterilization process monitors include mechanical, chemical, and biological methods to ensure all parameters were met.
true
The purpose of wrapping an item prior to sterilization is to protect it from contamination following the sterilization process.
true
