Key Terms
Air Exchanges
New air replacements within a room to maintain air quality.
Autoclave
A device that uses heat and pressure to sterilize equipment and supplies.
Compounded Sterile Preparation (CSP)
A medication prepared using aseptic technique in a sterile environment.
Drop factor
The number of drops per milliliter delivered by IV tubing.
Injection Port
A connector on IV tubing used to inject medications or fluids.
Anteroom
An ISO Class 8 area before the buffer room where hand washing, garbing, and supply gathering occur.
Auxiliary Clamp
A slide clamp used to completely stop the flow of IV solution.
Critical Site
The part of a syringe or needle that must remain sterile to prevent contamination.
Epidemic
A widespread outbreak of a contagious disease in a region.
In-Line Filter
A device placed in IV tubing to remove particles and contaminants from IV fluids.
Asepsis
Absence of pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms.
Bacterium
A small, single-celled microorganism that can cause infection.
Disinfectant
A chemical agent used on surfaces to destroy microorganisms (not necessarily spores).
Filtration
The process of removing contaminants from liquids or gases using filters.
ISO
An air-quality classification system that measures airborne particle levels in clean areas.
Aseptic hand washing
A thorough soap-and-water hand wash followed by antiseptic use before donning sterile attire.
Buffer room
An ISO Class 7 or cleaner area where sterile compounding takes place and PECs are located.
Distillation
A purification process that involves boiling a liquid and condensing the vapor back into liquid form.
HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter
A filter that removes over 99% of airborne particles to maintain a sterile environment.
IV administration set
A sterile, disposable system of tubing and ports used to deliver IV fluids.
Aseptic technique
Handling sterile products in a way that prevents contamination by microorganisms.
Clean room
An ISO-classified room where airborne particles are controlled to prevent contamination of sterile products.
Drip chamber
The part of IV tubing where drops are counted to determine IV flow rate.
Horizontal Laminar Air Flow Workbench (H-LAFW)
A compounding hood that provides ISO Class 5 air quality for sterile preparation.
IVPB (IV Piggyback)
A small-volume IV medication infused through a primary IV line.