STT12 - Week 4: Aseptic Technique Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the principles of asepsis, microbial transmission modes, surgical conscience, and the establishment of a sterile field.

Sterile

Free from all live bacteria or other microorganisms and their spores.

Goal of Asepsis

To keep the microbial count within the sterile field to an irreducible minimum.

Resident flora

Organisms that normally live in and on the bodies of healthy persons without causing harm when located in specific sites, but may be pathogenic to others.

Transient flora

Organisms that take up residence in or on the body temporarily in a location where they are not normally found, which can be easily removed by mechanical friction.

Exogenous Contamination

Contamination originating from outside the patient, such as OR personnel or the hospital environment.

Endogenous Contamination

Sources of contamination found within the patient, including the respiratory tract, skin, circulating blood, and GI tract.

Nosocomial infections

Infections that are acquired within a hospital environment.

Surgical Conscience

The honesty and moral integrity necessary to strictly adhere to the principles of asepsis and correct any breaks in sterile technique.

Standard Precautions

The principle that all individuals, blood, body fluids (except sweat), non-intact skin, and mucous membranes are considered potentially infectious.

Sterile Field Distance

The requirement that all tables set up as part of the sterile field should be placed $12-18\,\text{inches}$ away from the wall.

Table Top Level

The specific area of a sterile draped table that is considered sterile; the rest of the drape is unsterile.

Strike through contamination

Contamination caused by the transmission of microorganisms through moisture on a sterile surface.

Aseptic Technique

Commonly referred to as sterile technique, which includes principles to maintain a sterile environment during surgical procedures.