Medical Equipment & Supplies Lesson 6

Examination Room

• Examination Table

• pillow

• footstool

• supply cabinet

• trash can

• hazardous waste & sharps container

• rolling stool / chair

• Band-aids, tongue blades, gauze, alcohol wipes, and cotton swabs

Exam rooms should NOT contain

• syringes

• needles

• medication samples

• cleanings supplies

• chemical solutions

Dressings (disposable)

sterile material (ex. gauze) applied over a wound surface or site of a surgery; it should completely cover the wound

Bandages (disposable)

applied on top of dressings to keep the dressings in place; provide protection and extra padding for the wound

do not need to be sterile, need to be clean

• layer of gauze wrapped around wound

• elastic bandage

• traingular bandages

• slings / braces / splints

• tubular gauze bandage

Mayo stand

table used to hold instruments; adjustable + tray top

can be placed beside or over the pt.’s legs, light source should be positioned over the tray and pt.

Stethoscope

used to listen to body sounds and measure a pt.’s bp

Otoscope

used to examine the eardrum and external auditory canal; paired w/ disposable earpieces (speculum)

children less than 3 yrs of age —> pull pinna down + back

children age 3 and older —> pull pinna up + back

Ophthalmoscope

lighted instrument that reveals a view of the inside of the eye

Glaucoma - pressure in the eye inc to the point it can damage the eye

Nasal speculum

speculum - singular ; specula - plural

enlarge the opening of a nostril so the inside can be more easily seen

Vaginal speculum

used to access the cervix and the vagina

Sphygmomanometer / bp cuff

Gauge that measures bp; used w/ a stethoscope

Two types:

• manual (aneroid) ; needs to be calibrated regularly

  • digital; calculates systolic/diastolic values *may give inaccurate readings; not measuring bp

calibrations - how accurately the manometer measures

*incorrect fitting of cuff sizes —> too high/low bp readings

adult cuff — 1/3 larger than the circumference of a pt’s arm

child cuff — 2/3 larger than the child’s arm circumference

Sterilization Methods

• ultrasonic cleaning - uses sound waves to shake loose dirt, blood, and body fluids, requires special cleaning solution

• flash sterilization - immediate-use steam sterilization; used when instrument is required in an emergency procedure, non-replaceable instrument is contaminated, item dropped on the floor is needed to continue the surgical procedure

• autoclave - steams instruments at high pressure

• cold sterilization - used on heat-based / delicate instruments; placed in a cold chemical solution that sanitizes the instruments

Autoclave testing

Sterilization strips - guard against unfinished cycles;

• thermolabile dye - responds to temperature by changing shades

Culture test - contains heat-resistant spores that will show if the autoclave contains pathogens

—> run autoclave and take out the strip, unwrap and put the strip in a culture medium

• culture medium - jelly-like substance in which pathogens wil grow

*growth on the medium indicates that the autoclave is not sterilizing properly