Week 6 Terms Flashcards
Aerobes
Organisms that favor an environment with oxygen
Aerosol droplets
Droplets of moisture small enough to remain suspended in air
Anaerobes
Organisms that prefer an oxygen poor environment
Bioburden
Measure of the number of bacterial colonies on a surface
Contaminated
Surface, substance, or tissue that is not completely free of microorganisms
Cross-contamination
Spread of infection from one person to another or from an object to a person
Culture
Process of growing a microbe in a laboratory setting so that it can be studied and tested
Diffusion
Uniform dispersal of particles in a solution or across a membrane
Direct transmission
Transfer of microbes by direct physical contact with the microbes
Droplet nuclei
Dried remnants of previously moist secretions containing microbes
Endospore
Spores; Dormant stage of some bacteria that allows them to survive in extreme environmental conditions
Entry site
In microbial transmission, the sites where microbes enter the body
Fomite
Intermediate inanimate source in the process of disease transmission
Infection
State or condition in which pathogenic microbes invade and colonize the body or body tissues
Inflammation
Body’s nonspecific reaction to injury or infection that results in redness, heat, swelling, and pain
Necrosis
Tissue death
Nosocomial infection
Hospital-acquired infection (HAI)
Opportunistic infection
Infection in a weakened individual or as the result of specific drugs
Pathogen
Disease-causing microbes
Prion
Infectious protein substance that is resistant to common sterilization methods
Resident microorganisms
Microorganisms that normally colonize certain tissues of the body
Sterile
Completely free of all microbes
Suppurative
Having developed pus and fluid
Vector
A living intermediate carrier of microbes from one host to another
Virulence
Degree to which a microbe is capable of causing disease
Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AMMI)
An authoritative source of standards for sterilization and disinfection
Antisepsis
Process that greatly reduces the number of microbes on skin or other tissues
Bactericidal
Able to kill bacteria
Biological indicator
Quality control mechanism used in the process of sterilization
Cavitation
Process in which air bubble are imploded (burst inward), relating particles of soil or tissue debris
Chemical indicator
Method of testing a sterilization parameter
Chemical sterilization
Process that uses chemical agents to achieve sterilization
Cobalt-60 radiation
Method of institutional bulk sterilization used by manufacturers to sterilize prepackaged equipment using ionizing radiation
Decontamination
Process in which recently used and soiled medical devices are rendered safe for personnel to handle
Disinfection
Destruction of microbes by heat or chemical means
Ethylene oxide (EO)
A highly flammable gas that is capable of sterilizing an object
Exposure time
Hold time; Amount of time goods are held at a specific time, temperature, and pressure during a sterilization process
Fungicidal
Able to kill fungi
Gas plasma sterilization
Process that uses the form of matter known as plasma to sterilize an item
Gravity displacement sterilizer
Type of sterilizer that removes air by gravity
High-vacuum sterilizer
Pre vacuum sterilizer; Type of stem sterilizer that removes air in the chamber by vacuum and refills it with pressurized steam
Immediate-use sterilizer
Flash sterilization; items to be sterilized shortly before surgery must be processed so they are ready as close to the time of surgery as possible
Non critical items
Items that are not required to be sterile because they do not penetrate intact tissues (i.e. stethoscope, blood pressure cuffs)
Peracetic acid
Chemical used in the sterilization of critical items
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Protects wearer from contamination by microbes; approved attire worn during the reprocessing of medical devices and cleaning of pt areas
Sharps
Any objects used in health care that are capable of penetrating the skin
Shelf life
Length of time a wrapped item remains sterile after it has been subjected to a sterilization process
Spaulding system
System used to determine the level of microbial destruction required for medical devices and supplies based on the risk of infection associated with the area of the body where the device is used
Sterilization
Process by which all microorganisms (incl. spores) are destroyed
Washer-sterilizer/disinfector
Equipment that washes and decontaminates instruments after an operative procedure
