Chapter 1: Microbiology for Surgical Technologists

fundamental

the most _____________ component of surgical technology is providing the best possible care for the patients who come into our operating room suites.

cannot; surgical conscience

surgical technologists____________ provide the best care possible without a broad educational foundation and understanding of microbiology that guides their sense of________________ and due diligence to exclude the possibility of harm from unrecognized or undetected sources.

pandemic

an infectious disease that occurs worldwide or in a majority of the population of a large geographic region.

endemic

pertaining to an infectious disease that is constantly present in a region, community, or population, but involves relatively few numbers of people and low rates of mortality.

epidemic

pertaining to an infectious disease which occurs with a greater-than-normal incidence rate at the same time in a geographical area.

minor bacterial; viral infection; immunocompromised; matter of life; death

a__________ or ____________ may be merely an annoyance to a healthy individual; however, to ___________________ patients such as those who routinely enter the surgical environment of care, it may literally be a __________ and _____________.

personal protective equipment (PPE)

components of attire worn to protect against exposure to physical and biological hazards including masks, gloves, goggles/shields, respirators, gowns, lead aprons, and shoe covers.

standard techniques

breaking the chain of infection requires surgical technologists to practice ____________________ and utilize the comprehensive education gained through the core curriculum (including the study of microbiology) each day and on every procedure.

Girolamo Fracastoro

he theorized that tiny, unseen organisms were spread by means of direct contact between an infected host and others, indirect contact, carried on clothing, or carried through airborne transmission. He was the first to apply scientific principles to his theory.

Robert Hooke

designed and built a compound microscope and also built telescopes to study the heavens and later used his talents to focus on much smaller bodies. In 1665, he published a work entitled "Micrographia" in which he was the first to use the term "cell" to describe the small, honeycomb-like spaces found in cork. His discovery was the beginning of cell theory- that all living things are composed of cells.

Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek

was the first to observe and record bacteria and protozoa in 1673. Using a single-lens microscope and a variety of sources such as rainwater, saliva, and even his own semen, he viewed what he termed, "animalcules."

abiogenesis

also called the theory of spontaneous generation, this theory claimed that life could spontaneously arise from nonliving material.

Francesco Redi

openly critical of the theory, this scientist attempted to disprove abiogenesis with an ingenious experiment.

Lazzaro Spallanzani

an Italian scientist, that sough to disprove abiogenesis through his own experiments years later, but failed to sway John Needham or the rest of the scientific community.

Edward Jenner

his critical thinking and experimentation talents were of use when he inoculated an 8 yr. old boy with fluid from the blisters of a milkmaid with cowpox. The boy became mildly ill and recovered. This scientist then inoculated the same boy with smallpox; however, he never displayed any signs of infection; this scientist was recognized prior to his death as having been the first to effectively provide immunity through vaccination.

inoculation

the process of transmitting a pathogen to produce growth for analysis or transmitting an antigen, antitoxin, or antiserum to produce immunity to specific disease.

vaccination

the procedure of producing immunity by administration of a vaccine through various means, such as intradermally or orally; also called immunization.

Ignaz Semmelweis

his investigation showed that the midwives took great care to wash their hands often and between patient examinations, whereas the medical students did not. Once finding the cause, he implemented practices of routine hand-washing with chlorinated lime solutions. The result was a dramatic reduction of maternal mortality from more than 18% down to a little more than 1%.

puerperal fever

a syndrome characterized by a systemic bacterial infection and septicemia suffered by a mother in the period immediately after childbirth.

Golden Age of Microbiology

1855 to 1915; saw major strides in the study of microbiology; embraced experimentation and the scientific method of proving new or disproving old and commonly accepted beliefs about the origins and spread of diseases.

Louis Pasteur

most credited with developing experiments leading to the Germ Theory of Fermentation. This scientist's experiments showed that bacteria were the agents responsible for the spoilage of beer and wine. He was able to demonstrate that the bacteria changed alcohol into acetic acid, otherwise known as vinegar. He identified for the first time that microorganisms can be categorized as either anaerobic or aerobic.

aerobic

pertaining to an organism which lives and thrives in the presence of air and dies without it.

anaerobic

pertaining to an organism which lives and thrives in the absence of air and dies when exposed to it.

pasteurization

named after a scientist, this is the process of using heat to kill bacteria without affecting the chemical composition or taste of a beverage. Example: milk

germ theory of disease

a scientific theory that pathogenic microbes are the cause of disease and illness

Joseph Lister

English surgery pioneer who was responsible for establishing some of the first principles of aseptic technique to be used in the operating room.

sterilant

phenol was used as a _____________ aerosol spray over the surgical field to prevent patient infections.

wearing gloves during surgery, changing gowns/aprons between cases, cleaning and disinfecting surgical instruments by boiling them.

3 practices Joseph Lister implemented:

Robert Koch

became famous in the medical community for his research showing a necessary casual relationship of rod-shaped bacteria, now known as Bacillus anthracis, with the blood of cattle that had died of anthrax.

Koch's postulates

sequence of steps established by the German physician, Robert Koch for experimentally demonstrating in the laboratory that a specific microbe causes a specific disease.

pure culture technique

a laboratory technique used to ensure the growth of only one type of microbe on a culture medium in a petri dish or in a broth medium.

gram stain

a laboratory method developed by Hans Gram which involves the staining of bacteria with crystal violet, rinsing, staining with iodine solution, rinsing, counterstaining with carbolfuchsin, and finally rinsing again.

gram-positive bacteria

retain the crystal violet stain; appear purple

gram-negative bacteria

take on the counterstain and appear red/pink; the differentiation demonstrates the type of cell membrane of the bacterium and which type of antibiotic would most likely be effective against it.

petri dish

a round, shallow glass or plastic dish with a cover that contains solid culture media to grow microbes; developed by Koch's assistant, Julius Petri.

Penicillin

the first antibiotic ever developed; discovered and named by Alexander Fleming.

quarantine

a procedure utilized to protect the public by separating, isolating, and restricting the movement of individuals demonstrating symptoms of a contagious disease or those exposed to infectious disease in order to determine their status and potential transmissibility.

antibiotic

substance produced naturally by bacteria or other organisms or synthetically produced in the laboratory, capable of killing or suppressing the growth of microorganisms and used clinically to fight infections.

bioterrorism

military use of pathogenic microorganisms as a weapon against an enemy; aka biological warfare.

conjugation

a coupling together, or the process in which genetic information is transferred through cell-to-cell contact between bacteria.

1947

what year was the first case of penicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus reported?

pathogenic

there are many ways in which ___________ microorganisms can be transmitted

human to human

animal to human

environment to animal or human

insect to animal or human

laboratory specimens to human

bioterrorist attacks

6 ways diseases can be spread:

personal protective equipment (PPE)

wear __________ when the nature of the anticipated patient interaction indicates that contact with blood or body fluids may occur; before leaving the patient's room, discard.

standard precautions

used in all circumstances and presume that all patients are potential carriers of undiagnosed disease; when a specific disease process or pathogenic condition has been identified, additional work practices are used to address the mode by which it is spread.

break

a ________ in technique compromises surgical patient care and could threaten the patient's life.

surgical conscience

the guiding principle under which surgical technologists practice:

admit the break & take corrective actions

if a surgical technologist recognizes a break in technique, he or she must ______________

should not question or argue the point & resolve the break with immediate corrective action

if a break in technique is not observed by the surgical technologist and another team member points it out, he or she _________________

surgical conscience; in an operating room; risk

a person who does not have a strong ___________ should not work ___________ and poses a __________ to his or her own health, and more importantly, to the patients who come into the surgical environment of care.