Before setting up a minor surgical tray, you notice the sterile package is dry but has a torn corner.
What is considered contaminated and should not be used?
A patient with suspected tuberculosis enters the clinic.
What are airborne precautions requiring an N95 respirator?
An adult patient's pulse is 52 bpm, regular, and strong.
What is bradycardia?
Once sterile gloves are donned, hands should remain in this position.
What is above waist level and within sight?
While preparing for a wound culture, the provider requests a sterile cotton-tipped applicator. The assistant opens the package and drops it onto the sterile field without touching it.
What is maintaining sterility by transfer technique?
This is the minimum alcohol concentration recommended for alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
What is at least 60% alcohol?
A blood pressure cuff that is too small for the patient's arm typically produces this type of reading.
What is a falsely elevated blood pressure?
The outer one-inch edge of a sterile drape is considered this.
What is contaminated or nonsterile?
During room preparation, the provider requests a specimen container for a urine culture. The most important step before labeling the specimen is this.
What is verifying patient identity using two identifiers?
A medical assistant removes gloves and immediately answers a telephone before washing hands.
What is a break in infection control because hand hygiene should occur immediately after glove removal?
This artery is most commonly used to measure an adult pulse.
What is the radial artery?
While opening a sterile field, the flap opened first is this one.
What is the flap away from the body?
A provider orders a sterile dressing change. The assistant realizes one supply is missing after the sterile field has been established.
What is obtaining the item and adding it to the field without contaminating the field?
A patient with Clostridioides difficile infection is being treated.
What is handwashing with soap and water rather than sanitizer?
A blood pressure reading of 120/80 mmHg consists of these two measurements.
What are systolic and diastolic pressure?
Moisture passing through a sterile drape creates this process.
What is strike-through contamination?
The provider asks for a sterile instrument that has fallen one inch below the tabletop edge of the sterile field.
What is the item considered contaminated because the 1-inch border is not sterile?
The chain of infection includes infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and this final link.
What is a susceptible host?
This term describes a pulse rhythm that is not regular
What is irregular?
While wearing sterile gloves, one finger accidentally touches the patient's gown.
What is contamination requiring replacement of the glove?