Surg 126--Chapter 5 Flashcards
What are antimicrobial agents used for?
To prevent and to treat infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms.
What does pathogenic mean?
Disease-causing
Antibiotics take their name what 2 Greek words?
Anti and bios
What does “anti” mean?
Against
What does “bios” mean?
Life
What are antibiotics?
Natural chemicals (or metabolites) produced by microorganisms that inhibit the growth of other microorganisms.
The natural substances that make up antibiotics include _____ and _____.
Fungi (and molds) and bacteria
What percentage of antibiotics in the U.S. are prescribed for prophylaxis of infections?
30 – 50%
For the surgical patient, antibiotics are prescribed _____, _____, or _____.
Preoperatively, intraoperatively, or postoperatively
Potential complications of every surgical intervention because any such procedure penetrates the body’s first line of defense: the skin.
Postoperative wound infections (SSI’s)
SSI’s may range from _____ to _____.
Minor to serious
TJC has developed a national quality partnership called the _____.
Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP)
Created by TJC and focuses on reducing SSI’s.
Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP)
What are the goals of SCIP?
Increase compliance for measures related to the use of antibiotics such as:
- The selection of the antibiotic
- The time an antibiotic is received before the incision
- The time an antibiotic is discontinued after surgery
- The ID of the person responsible for these actions and for verifying antibiotic names, times of administration, and documentation
What measure was developed by the WHO and includes antibiotics and surgical patient safety?
Surgical Patient Checklist
What are the 3 sections of the Surgical Patient Checklist?
Before the induction of anesthesia, before the skin incision, and before the patient leaves the OR.
Contains a list of tasks to be accomplished and verified.
Surgical Patient Checklist
How are SSI caused?
By the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms into a susceptible host via a route of transmission.
The pathogen must have a _____, _____, and _____.
Source, a means of transmission, and a host to cause an infection
The source of pathogenic organisms may be _____ or _____.
Endogenous or exogenous
The infectious microbe comes from the patient’s own bacteria.
Endogenous
The infectious microbe comes from outside the patient.
Exogenous
What are two common methods to identify pathogens?
Culture and sensitivity (C&S) and gram staining
Describe culture and sensitivity (C&S).
The process of growing microbes in culture to determine the infecting pathogen and the exposure of the pathogen to various antibiotics to determine which agent will best inhibit the pathogen’s growth.
Describe gram staining.
A rapid identification test that assists the physician in prescribing an initial course of antibiotic therapy based on the probable pathogen causing the infection.
A fluid or tissue specimen is obtained with a swab from the infection site and placed in one or more culture tubes for transport to the microbiology lab.
Culture and sensitivity (C&S)
Bacteria occur in many different shapes, what are the three major groups.
- Spirilla (spiral shaped)
- Bacilli (rod or oblong shaped)
- Cocci (round or spherical shaped)
To be effective, an antimicrobial agent must have _____.
Selective toxicity
What is selective toxicity?
Acts against pathogenic organisms with harming host cells.
Antibiotics must target structures and functions in _____ that differ from those of _____.
pathogenic microorganisms
host cells
The actual goal of antibiotic administration is to _____.
assist the patient’s immune system to subdue the infection.
Name two ways antimicrobial agents are classified.
bactericidal and bacteriostatic
What is bactericidal?
The agent kills the bacteria.