week 3 study guide

What steps should the medical assistant take prior to setting up a sterile field on a Mayo stand?

1. hand hygiene

2. ppe

3. autoclave check, date of sterilization

4. disinfect stand

5. stand 12 inches away

6. instrument/medication prep

7. drape

What important steps must be completed prior to starting any procedure?

1. Thoroughly review the patient’s medical record for history and the planned procedure

2. Confirm all necessary preparations (e.g., fasting or medication restrictions)

3. Ensure informed consent is signed

4. Gather required equipment

5. Verify that the patient followed pre-procedure instructions

6. If any concerns arise, consult the healthcare provider first

patient identification
ensure order is correct
sterile field and instruments
patient instruction

What are the proper steps to take when opening a sterile packet on the Mayo stand?

1. sterilize mayo stand, let air dry

2. adjust above waist and 12 inches from body

3. lay sterilized drape

4. open/check sterile packets without touching tray or any other instruments

5. open flap furthest away from you, open side flaps, open the closest flap last

don’t turn away from/reach over the field

What portion of a sterile packet is considered non-sterile?
What steps must the MA take to prevent breaking the sterile field?

1. the bordering inch

2. don’t…

   • touch the border of the drape or the instruments w/o forceps

   • turn away from/reach over the field

   • leave unattended

What steps should the MA take when setting up a sterile field?

1. rearrange items with sterile forceps

2. wear sterile gloves to open items within the instrument set up

3. additional sterile items can be dropped onto field

4. If there is any chance of contamination, remove the contaminated item or correct the error and open a new packet

biopsy and its purpose

The surgical removal of tissue for later microscopic examination
-Diagnose scancer, skin conditions, or other diseases of the body

endoscopy

Procedure that uses an endoscope to view a hollow organ or body cavity, such as the larynx, bladder, colon, sigmoid colon, stomach, abdomen, and some joints

endoscopy purpose

Evaluates a patient having stomach pain, difficulty swallowing, gastrointestinal bleeding, diarrhea or constipation, and colon polyps

colposcopy

Examination of the vagina and cervix performed using a colposcope, which is a specialized type of endoscope. With the patient in the lithotomy position, the colposcope allows the health care provider to observe the tissues of this area in detail through light and magnification.

colposcopy purpose

Examine abnormal tissue development during a routine pelvic examination, when a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear result is abnormal, and to obtain a biopsy specimen. Abnormal areas of tissue or cells can then be removed for biopsy to detect cancer.

cryosurgery

Procedure using local application of intense cold liquid or special instrument called a cryoprobe to destroy unwanted tissue.

cryosurgery purpose

-destroy abnormal cells and tissues, which uses extremely cold liquid such as liquid nitrogen and an instrument called a cryoprobe.

-can be used in conjunction with other procedures, such as a colposcopy as a treatment of cervical erosion and chronic cervicitis.

incision and drainage (I&D)

Lancing a pressure buildup caused by pus or other fluid under the skin

I&D purpose

relieve the buildup of purulent (pus) material as a result of infection, such as from an abscess. The purulent discharge can be cultured to determine what micro-organism is causing the infection and what antibiotic would be effective in treating it

how long for non-absorbable sutures and stables typically remain in place before being removed?

sutures: 7-14 days
staples: 4-14 days

What suture size should the MA expect the provider to request for a patient w/ a facial or neck injury?

5-0 through 6-0

What suture size should the MA expect the provider to request for a patient w/ a chest or abdomen injury?

2-0

for what types of injuries should the MA anticipate the use of staples?

a wound that needs high tension to close up

-trunk, extremities, and scalp
-not generally used in delicate tissues or wounds in finely contoured areas, over bony prominences, or in highly mobile areas

what documentation should the MA include in the patients medical record following removal of staples or sutures?

1. Wound condition, dressing application

2. number of staples/sutures removed

3. patient aftercare instructions

abrasion

outer layers of skin are rubbed away because of scraping; will generally heal without scarring

incision

smooth cut resulting from a surgical scalpel or sharp material, such as razor or glass; can result in excessive bleeding and scarring if deep

laceration

edges are torn in an irregular shape; can cause profuse bleeding and scarring

puncture

made by a sharp, pointed instrument such as a bullet, needle, nail, or splinter; external bleeding is usually minimal, but infection can occur because of penetration with a contaminated object, and there can be scarring

strain

stretching/tearing of muscle or tendon (muscle to bone)

sprain

stretching/tearing of ligament (tissues connecting bone to joint)

dislocation

-free moving joint bone dislocates out of socket
-capsule surrounding joint stretches/tears

closed (simple) fracture

no skin penetration

open (compound) fracture

skin breaks, greater chance of infection

stages of would infections and at what point in the healing stage do they occur?

1. inflammatory (3-4 days)

2. proliferating (4-21 days)

3. maturation (21d to 2y)

inflammatory phase

3 to 4 days

-Marked by pain, swelling, and loss of function at the site of the wound
-Blood clot forms to stop bleeding and plug the opening of a wound.

proliferating phase

4 - 21 days

-Fibrin threads extend across the opening of a wound and pull edges together; cells multiply to repair the wound, and eschar or scab begins to form to keep out micro-organisms.

maturation phase

(21 days to 2 years)

-Tissue cells strengthen and tighten the wound closure, forming a scar; scar eventually fades and thins.

infection

hemorrhage

excessive fluid/blood lost from a ruptured blood vessel

-can occur internally/externally (stays in body/leaves)

dehiscence

Partial or total separation of a wound's edges

evisceration

Separation of wound edges and protrusion of abdominal organs

erythema

Superficial reddening of the skin

visual acuity test-
1. what chart?
2. what distance?

ishara color plate

what should the MA verify when gathering sterile supplies?

how should the MA clean a wound w/ an antiseptic swab?

urinalysis responsibilities

blood bank responsibilities

hematology responsibilities

cytology responsibilities

chemistry responsibilities

microbiology responsibilities

when testing urine for the presence of hCG, how long must the MA wait for results?

hemoglobin

spun hematocrit

blood glucose

Hgb A1C

cholesterol

steps when collecting a Urine Drug Screen:

prior to performing a fecal occult blood test, what instructions should the MA provide to the patient?

error that would effect test results in the pre-analytical phase:

normal Hgb A1C range

steps preventing contamination of the specimen container during urine specimen collection:

random urine

first morning specimen

clean catch midstream

24-hour sample

catheterization collection

components analyzed during physical analysis

components analyzed during chemical analysis

steps taken to prepare a specimen for transport
-what must be included on the label?

steps taken to ensure the spirometry or pulmonary function test is performed correctly?
-# of successful breathing maneuvers the patient completes

peak flow test instructions provided to patient

time taken for urine pregnancy test to process

instructions for clean catch urine specimen collection