Key terms
what is air exchanges?
new air replacements
what is autoclave?
a device that generates heat and pressure to sterilize objects, instruments, and measures vessels
what is compounded sterile preparation?
a medication prepared with aseptic technique in a sterile, clean room, facility
what is the drop factor
the number of drops that an IV tubing delivers to provide 1 ml; this number may be used by nurses to calculate the IV flow rate when using certain types of primary IV tubing; also called drop set or drip set
what is injection port?
a connector on the IV tubing that allows the injection of IV fluid or medication other than that in the current IV bag to be infused into the patient’s vein
what is anteroom?
an ISO class 8 room or area immediately before the buffer room in which hand washing, hygiene, and garbing are done, and supplies and ingredients are gathered between the pharmacy department and the cleanroom or buffer area
what is auxilliary clamp?
slide clamp used to completely stop the IV solution from flowing
what is critical site?
the part of the syringe and/or needle that is at risk of contamination by touch or airflow interruption
what is epidemic?
a regional widespread contagious disease
what is in-line filter?
a device used in the IV line to remove contaminants such as glass, fibers, bits of rubber, and bacteria from IV fluids
what is asepsis?
the absence of pathogenic microorganisms
what is bacterium?
a small, single-celled microorganism that can exist in three main forms, depending on type: spherical, rod-shaped, and spiral
what is disinfectant?
a chemical agent such as sterile 70% IPA used on inanimate surfaces and objects to destroy fungi, viruses, and bacteria, but not necessarily their spores
what is filtration?
funneling of a liquid or gas through filters, or mesh screens with minute holes too small for biological and chemical contaminants to pass through
what is ISO?
an air quality classification from the international organization for standardization measures the amount of particle matter in room air; the lower the ISO number, the less particulate matter is present in the air
what is aseptic handwashing?
a more aggressive soap and water hand washing procedure, followed by the use of an antiseptic agent before donning sterile attire
what is a buffer room?
an ISO class 7 or cleaner area where the PECs are physically located; also called the IV or cleanroom
what is distillation?
process of boiling a liquid and capturing the condensed gases or vapor back into a purified liquid form
what is HEPA?
a device used to filter over 99% of particulate matter from the air to establish an aseptic environment in which to prepare CSPs
what is an IV administration set?
a sterile, disposable device of many components (including the tubing and ports) used to deliver IV fluids to patients
what is aseptic technique?
the manipulation of sterile products and devices to avoid contamination by disease-causing organisms; includes cleanroom protocols and hand-washing and gowning procedures
what is clean room?
an ISO-classified room (or two-room configuration of a cleanroom area) in which the concentration of airborne particles is controlled to meet a specific air-borne-particulate cleanliness class to prevent particle and microbial contamination of CSPs; also called the IV room or buffer room
what is a drip chamber?
the small, open space just below the spike adaptor where the drops of fluid from the IV bag into the tubing are counted by the nurse to determine the flow rate of the IV solution
what is horizontal laminar air flow workbench?
also known as a laminar hood, a PEC (with an ISO class 5 air quality in its DCA) used to prepare IV drug admixtures, nutrition solutions, and other parenteral products asepctically
what is IVPB?
a small-volume parenteral (SVP) infusion (50 ml, 100 ml, 250 ml) containing medications attached to a primary LVP IV solution