Principles of Surgical Asepsis Flashcards
What is the purpose of aseptic technique?
Practices that aim to prevent infection in the patient.
What does aseptic technique include?
They include but are not limited to…
• Sterilization of equipment, gowns, drapes, etc
• Surgical suite preparation
• Patient preparation
• Surgical team preparation
What is the history of aseptic technique?
• British surgeon that found a way to prevent infection in wounds during and after surgery
• He was the first to apply the science of Germ Theory to surgery
• Lister’s Antisepsis System is the basis of modern infection control
• His principles made surgery safe
Antisepsis is defined as the?
prevention of sepsis by exclusion, destruction, or inhibition of growth of most microorganisms on animate/living objects.
Antiseptics are used for what purpose?
• Antiseptics are used to kill most microorganisms during patient skin prep and surgical scrubbing
• Remember skin is not sterile
Asepsis is defined as ?
Absence of pathogenic microbes in living tissue that cause disease
• PREVENT wound contamination by destroying organisms before they enter the wound
Aseptic technique is defined as ?
• Aseptic technique- Principles employed to minimize degree of contamination of a surgical wound
Barrier is defined as?
A material used to reduce or inhibit the migration or transmission of microorganisms in the environment. Personnel attire and gowns, furniture and patient drapes, equipment and supply packaging, and ventilating filters.
Contaminated is defined as?
carrying or infected by microorganisms.
Cross-contamination is defined as?
Transmission of microorganisms from patient to patient or from inanimate object to patient.
Decontamination is defined as?
Cleaning and disinfecting or sterilizing processes carried out to make contaminated items safe to handle.
Disinfection is defined as ?
Chemical or mechanical (friction) destruction of pathogens.
Irreducible minimum is defined as?
The microbial burden cannot get any lower. The item is sterile to its highest degree.
Spatial relationships are defined as?
Having awareness of sterile unsterile, clean, and contaminated areas, objects, and individuals and their proximity to each other.
Standard precautions are defined as?
Procedures followed to protect personnel from contact with the blood and body fluids of patients.
Sterile is defined as ?
Free of living organisms.
Sterile field is defined as?
Area around the site of incision into tissue or the site of introduction of an instrument into a body orifice that has been prepared using sterile supplies and equipment.
Sterile technique is defined as?
The method by which contamination with microorganisms is prevented to maintain sterility through out the surgical procedure.
Terminal sterilization and disinfection is defined as?
Procedures carried out for the destruction of pathogens at the end of the surgical procedure in the operating room (OR) after the patient has been removed.
What is the purpose of asepsis?
PREVENT wound contamination by destroying organisms before they enter the wound
Antisepsis is defined as?
Destruction of most microorganisms on animate/living objects
Sterility is defined as the absence of ?
This can only be applied to?
all forms of microbial life
• Only inanimate objects