ATI: Surgical Asepsis

Question 1

Antibody

Answer 1

a type of protein the immune system produces to neutralize a threat of some kind, such as an infecting organism, a chemical, or some other foreign body

Question 2

Antimicrobial

Answer 2

able to destroy or suppress the growth of pathogens and other micro-organisms

Question 3

Antiseptic

Answer 3

a substance that reduces the number of pathogens present on a surface

Question 4

Asepsis

Answer 4

methods used to assure that an environment is as pathogen-free as possible

Question 5

Bacteriostasis

Answer 5

the inhibition of further bacterial growth

Question 6

Chlorhexidine

Answer 6

an antibacterial compound with substantial residual activity that is used as a liquid antiseptic and disinfectant

Question 7

Circulating Nurse

Answer 7

a nurse who assists the scrub nurse and the surgeons during surgery, positioning the patient and equipment, obtaining additional supplies, and adjusting lighting as needed

Question 8

Contamination

Answer 8

the process of becoming unsterile or unclean

Question 9

Disinfectant

Answer 9

any chemical agent used to destroy or inhibit the growth of harmful organisms

Question 10

Doff

Answer 10

to remove an article of clothing from the body

Question 11

Don

Answer 11

to put on (as with an article of clothing) or dress in

Question 12

Flora

Answer 12

the aggregate of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms normally found in a particular environment, such as the gastrointestinal tract or the skin

Question 13

Immunosuppression

Answer 13

the inhibition of the body’s protective response to pathogenic invasion, usually as a result of disease, drug therapy, or surgery

Question 14

Intraoperative

Answer 14

occurring during the course of a surgical procedure

Question 15

Medical Asepsis

Answer 15

infection-control practices common in healthcare, such as basic handwashing

Question 16

Micro-Organisms

Answer 16

minute living cells

Question 17

Nosocomial

Answer 17

acquired in a hospital, as in nosocomial infection. The term the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now uses for infections associated with healthcare delivery in any setting (hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory settings, home care) is healthcare-associated infection (HAI).

Question 18

Pathogen

Answer 18

any disease-producing agent, especially a virus, bacterium, or fungus

Question 19

Perioperative

Answer 19

pertaining to the period extending from the time of hospitalization for surgery to the time of discharge; includes the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods

Question 20

Phagocytes

Answer 20

cells (such as white blood cells) that engulf, ingest, and consume foreign material (such as pathogens) and debris

Question 21

Pneumococcal

Answer 21

pertaining to or caused by pneumococci, organisms of the species Streptococcus pneumoniae, a common cause of pneumonia and other infectious diseases

Question 22

Postoperative

Answer 22

pertaining to the period following a surgical operation, usually from the time the patient is transferred to the postanesthesia care unit until healing is complete

Question 23

Preoperative

Answer 23

pertaining to the period before a surgical operation, usually from the time the decision to have surgery is made to the time the patient is transferred to the operative table

Question 24

Retrovirus

Answer 24

any of a large group of RNA-based viruses that tend to infect immunocompromised individuals, including the human immunodeficiency virus and many cancer-causing viruses

Question 25

Scrub Nurse

Answer 25

a nurse who assists surgeons during surgery, wearing sterile attire and handling sterile equipment and supplies

Question 26

Sepsis

Answer 26

the presence in blood or other tissues of pathogens or their toxins

Question 27

Spore

Answer 27

a primitive, usually unicellular, reproductive body produced by plants, fungi, and some micro-organisms that is resistant to environmental changes

Question 28

Staphylococcus

Answer 28

a genus of gram-positive bacteria that are potential pathogens, causing local lesions and serious opportunistic infections

Question 29

Sterile

Answer 29

free from living organisms and especially from micro-organisms and pathogens

Question 30

Sterile Field

Answer 30

a specified area that is considered free from micro-organisms

Question 31

Sterile Technique

Answer 31

measures taken to prevent the spread of pathogens from the environment to the patient by eliminating all micro-organisms in that environment

Question 32

Sterilization

Answer 32

a process that destroys all micro-organisms, including spores and viruses

Question 33

Strikethrough

Answer 33

penetration of pathogens, typically bacteria, through surgical drapes, dressings, and other materials, especially as a result of fluid accumulation

Question 34

Subungual

Answer 34

Under a nail

Question 35

Surgical Asepsis

Answer 35

techniques used to destroy all pathogenic organisms, also called sterile technique

Question 36

Surgical Scrub

Answer 36

a procedure that achieves disinfection of the hands and arms up to the elbows in preparation for donning sterile attire and performing or participating in a sterile procedure

Question 37

Surgical Technologist

Answer 37

an allied health professional charged with preparing instrumentation and supplies for surgical procedures, maintaining surgical asepsis during a procedure, and passing instruments to and otherwise assisting surgeons during surgery