Surgical Scrubbing, Gowning, and Gloving Protocols

Vocabulary flashcards covering surgical team roles, gauze counting, surgical scrubbing procedures, drying protocols, gowning, and gloving techniques.

Lavage

The rinsing out of an incision or surgical site during a procedure.

Suction

The act of sucking out fluids, blood, or lavage solution from the surgical field.

Gauze Counting Protocol

The process of counting all sterile gauze sponges before surgery begins and again at the end of surgery to ensure no gauze is left inside the patient.

Non-sterile assistant (Circulating tech)

A surgical team member who sets up the operating room, opens sterile items, assists the anesthetist, retrieves equipment, and maintains non-sterile boundaries.

Anesthetist

A non-sterile surgical team member focused primarily on patient anesthesia, pain control, and monitoring physiological responses during painful or high-loss parts of surgery.

Purpose of Surgical Scrub

To remove dirt, debris, and oil from the skin prior to gloving, and to decrease the amount of bacteria and flora on the hands and arms.

Microscopic Perforations

Tiny defects or holes that can exist in sterile latex gloves, which may allow microorganisms to pass through.

Overall Contact Time

The total duration required for scrubbing hands and arms with antiseptic scrub, which should be 5 minutes.

Scrubbing Progression

The anatomical sequence used during surgical scrubbing, starting at the fingertips, progressing through each individual finger surface, the hand surfaces, the wrist, and ending at the forearms.

Rinsing Technique

Passing hands and arms under water in a single direction from fingertips down toward the elbows without moving back and forth.

Hand Drying Protocol

Using one dedicated section/half of a sterile towel to blot dry one hand and arm from fingertips to elbow, then flipping to the opposite clean section to dry the second hand and arm without returning to already dried areas.

Sterileum

A brand of waterless scrub used as an alternative to traditional hand scrubbing for subsequent surgical procedures after the initial full scrub of the day.

Closed Gloving

The technique of putting on sterile gloves while the hands remain entirely inside the sleeves of a sterile surgical gown.

Open Gloving

The technique of putting on sterile gloves without wearing a sterile surgical gown.