Key Terms
Air Exchanges
The number of times per hour that filtered, clean air replaces the air in a room to reduce contamination
Anteroom
An ISO Class 8 area that serves as the transition space between the pharmacy and the cleanroom where hand washing, garbing, and supply staging occur.
Asepsis
The absence of pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms
Aseptic Hand Washing
A thorough hand-washing process using soap and water followed by an antiseptic agent before donning sterile garb
Aseptic Technique
Methods used to prevent contamination of sterile products, including proper hand hygiene, garbing, cleaning, and manipulation of supplies
Autoclave
A device that uses heat and pressure (steam) to sterilize equipment, instruments, and materials.
Auxiliary Clamp
A slide clamp used to completely stop the flow of IV solution
Bacterium
A single-celled microorganism that may be spherical (cocci), rod-shaped (bacilli), or spiral (spirochetes
Buffer Room
An ISO Class 7 (or cleaner) room where primary engineering controls (PECs) are located and sterile compounding occurs
Cleanroom
– A controlled ISO-classified environment designed to limit airborne particles and microorganisms during sterile compounding.
Compounded Sterile Preparation (CSP)
A medication prepared using aseptic technique in a sterile environment.
Critical Site
Any part of a sterile product (e.g., needle tip, syringe tip) that can be contaminated by touch or airflow disruption.
Disinfectant
A chemical agent (such as sterile 70% IPA) used to destroy microorganisms on nonliving surfaces.
Distillation
A purification process that involves boiling a liquid and condensing the vapor back into a purified liquid.
Drip Chamber
The portion of IV tubing below the spike adaptor where IV fluid drops are counted to regulate flow rate.
Drop Factor
The number of drops per milliliter (gtts/mL) delivered by IV tubing, used to calculate infusion rates.
Epidemic
A widespread outbreak of a contagious disease within a specific region or population.
Filtration
The process of passing air or liquid through filters to remove particles and contaminants.
HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) Filter
A filter that removes at least 99.97% of airborne particles ≥0.3 microns.
Horizontal Laminar Airflow Workbench (H-LAFW)
A PEC that provides ISO Class 5 air quality using horizontal unidirectional airflow for sterile compounding.
Injection Port
A self-sealing port on IV tubing that allows medications to be added to an IV line.
In-Line Filter
A filter placed in IV tubing to remove contaminants such as glass, fibers, rubber particles, and bacteria.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
A system that classifies air cleanliness; lower ISO numbers indicate cleaner air.
IV Administration Set
A sterile, disposable system of tubing and components used to deliver IV fluids to patients.
IVPB (IV Piggyback)
A small-volume parenteral medication infused through a primary IV line.