Infection Control & Medical Procedures: Key Concepts and Pathogens

What disease is hemoptysis associated with?

Tuberculosis (TB)

What disease is jaundice a clinical finding of?

Hepatitis

What is the smallest infectious agent that causes disease?

Virus

What is the second link in the chain of infection?

Reservoir

When is alcohol-based hand rub NOT recommended?

When hands are visibly soiled

What type of transmission involves physically touching an infected person?

Direct contact

Which is a portal of entry?

Nose, mouth, wound

Who is the most likely immunocompromised patient?

Child undergoing chemotherapy

Which is the least likely healthcare-associated infection (HAI)?

HIV

What disease is spread by airborne transmission?

Tuberculosis

Which is a virus?

Hepatitis, influenza, measles

What is a sexually transmitted disease?

Chlamydia

What is the most common occupational exposure to HBV?

Needlestick injury

Enteric precautions are a type of what?

Contact precautions

What is the best personal care practice to reduce infection transmission?

Limit jewelry to a solitary wedding band

What procedure requires a nonsterile probe cover?

Right upper quadrant sonogram

What is transducer sterilization?

Complete destruction of all microorganisms including spores

Which bacterium releases toxins into the bowel?

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)

What practices render objects or areas free of pathogenic microorganisms?

Medical asepsis

Which is a bloodborne pathogen?

HCV, HIV, HBV

What procedure is used to remove ascites?

Paracentesis

What is surgical asepsis?

Complete removal of microorganisms and spores

What lab test is typically required before an invasive procedure?

CBC, PTT, PT

What is normally the sonographer's responsibility before an invasive procedure?

Prepare sterile tray, perform sonogram prior to the procedure, obtain vital signs prior to the procedure

What procedure does require a sterile probe cover?

Amniocentesis, paracentesis, pericardiocentesis

What is surgical hand antisepsis?

Complete removal of microorganisms from the hands and arms

What does a complete blood count (CBC) show?

The number and types of blood cells

What device is attached to a transducer to assist needle placement?

Needle guide

What is an invasive procedure?

Medical procedure involving penetration of body tissues

What is ascites?

Fluid within the abdominal cavity

What is pleural effusion?

Fluid within the pleural space

What is a rule of surgical asepsis?

Always know what is or isn't sterile. Sterile objects must be kept separate from nonsterile objects, any sterile object that contacts a nonsterile object is contaminated

What is the largest needle gauge?

10 gauge

What item is not routinely required for a sonographer in the OR?

Sterile gown

Which part of a sterile gown is NOT sterile?

Cuffs

What is a true statement about surgical asepsis?

A nonsterile person does not reach over a sterile field

What does a basic metabolic panel (BMP) measure?

Glucose, electrolytes, fluid balance, and kidney function

What procedure collects amniotic fluid around a fetus?

Amniocentesis

What is NOT true about Zone 3 of the surgical suite?

Doors are kept open

What does PTT measure?

How long plasma takes to clot

What are airborne precautions?

Precautions used to prevent spread through the air

What is airborne transmission?

Spread by droplet nuclei or particles that remain suspended in air

What does asymptomatic mean?

Showing no symptoms

What are bacteria?

Single-celled microorganisms without a nucleus

What is a bloodborne pathogen?

Pathogen transmitted through blood or other potentially infectious body fluids

What disease is caused by botulinum toxin?

Botulism

What is a carrier?

Person, animal, or object capable of transmitting disease

What is colonization?

Presence of microorganisms without causing disease

What does communicable mean?

Capable of being transmitted from person to person

What are contact precautions?

Precautions used to prevent spread by direct or indirect contact

What is contact transmission?

Spread by direct or indirect contact

What does contagious mean?

Easily transmitted by contact

What is disinfection?

Process that destroys most pathogenic microorganisms but not bacterial spores

What are droplet precautions?

Precautions used to prevent spread by large respiratory droplets

What is droplet transmission?

Spread through respiratory droplets over short distances

What is an endocavity sonogram?

Ultrasound performed through a body orifice

What are enteric precautions?

Contact precautions used for infectious diarrhea or fecal contamination

What is an epidemic?

Rapid spread of disease within a community or region

What is the fecal-oral route?

Transmission through ingestion of fecal contamination

What is flora?

Normal microorganisms found on or in the body

What are fungi?

Yeasts and molds

What is a healthcare-associated infection (HAI)?

Infection acquired during healthcare delivery

What is high-level disinfection?

Kills all microorganisms except large numbers of bacterial spores; used for endocavity probes

What is indirect transmission?

Spread through contaminated objects (fomites)

What is an infection?

Invasion and multiplication of microorganisms causing disease

What are infection control precautions?

Measures used to reduce transmission of infectious disease

What is medical asepsis?

Clean technique that reduces microorganisms and disease transmission

What is the difference between medical asepsis and surgical asepsis?

Medical asepsis reduces microorganisms; surgical asepsis eliminates all microorganisms including spores

What are microorganisms?

Microscopic living organisms

What is the mode of transmission?

Method by which disease spreads

What is a nosocomial infection?

Healthcare-associated infection

What is a pandemic?

Global epidemic

What is a parasite?

Organism living on or within another organism for nourishment

What is pathogenicity?

Ability of an organism to cause disease

What is a pathogen?

Disease-causing microorganism

What is personal protective equipment (PPE)?

Equipment worn to reduce exposure to infectious materials

What is a portal of entry?

Route by which a pathogen enters the body

What is a portal of exit?

Route by which a pathogen leaves the body

What is a probe cover?

Cover placed over an ultrasound transducer

What is a reservoir?

Place where pathogens normally live and multiply

What is sanitization?

Lowest level of infection control that reduces microorganisms

What is sepsis?

Life-threatening response to infection

What are spores?

Dormant, highly resistant bacterial forms

What are standard precautions?

Precautions used with every patient regardless of diagnosis

What is sterilization?

Complete destruction of all microorganisms including bacterial spores

What is a susceptible host?

Person at risk of infection

What are transmission-based precautions?

Airborne, droplet, and contact precautions

What is a vector?

Living carrier (usually an insect) that transmits disease

What is a virus?

Smallest infectious agent known to cause disease in humans

What are the 6 links in the chain of infection?

Infectious agent → Reservoir → Portal of exit → Mode of transmission → Portal of entry → Susceptible host

What is direct contact transmission?

Person-to-person physical contact

What is indirect contact transmission?

Transmission through contaminated objects (fomites)

What is the droplet size for transmission?

>5 μm

What is the airborne particle size for transmission?

≤5 μm

When should alcohol hand rub NOT be used?

When hands are visibly dirty or contaminated with C. difficile spores

What is endocavity probe processing?

High-level disinfection after each patient

What are critical items?

Require sterilization

What are semicritical items?

Require high-level disinfection

What are noncritical items?

Require low- or intermediate-level disinfection

What are examples of bloodborne pathogens?

HBV, HCV, HIV