Chapter 7

Which of the following diseases is NOT a form of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy? 

Which term means the number of microbes or amount of organic debris on an object at any given time? 

Which of the following chemicals is a high-level disinfectant when items are immersed for 20 to 30 minutes and a sterilant if items remain immersed for 10 hours? 

Which part of the instrument reprocessing cycle is performed intraoperatively? 

What is the type of process the ultrasonic cleaner uses to dislodge minute particles of soil and organic debris? 

Which type of packaging system has filters and removable locking devices? 

What is the weight that AAMI has recommended instrument sets should NOT exceed? 

Which sterilization method is most commonly used, safest, least expensive, and appropriate for the majority of surgical instruments? 

Which of the following is the type of dating system that denotes the number of the calendar day in 1 through 365/366? 

The biological indicator (BI) for the steam sterilization method is: 

Contamination caused by passage of microorganisms through a sterilized package by way of moisture wicking is termed: 

Which sterilization method presents the greatest exposure risk to CSPD personnel, is expensive, and requires the longest total cycle time? 

CidexTM is the trade name for which of the following methods of sterilization? 

When opening a wrapped item such as a gown on a Mayo stand, the contents and wrapper are considered sterile up to what distance from the edge of the wrapper? 

What term refers to a barrier, such as plastic-backed table cover, that does NOT allow for passage of liquid through it? 

Which type of wrapper material is compatible with the hydrogen peroxide gas plasma sterilization method? 

How should air hoses of powered instruments or fiber-optic light cords be placed in rigid container trays for sterilization? 

What is the relationship of steam pressure to temperature in a steam sterilizer? 

The physical or chemical process by which all living microorganisms, including spores, are killed is: 

When nested basin sets are being sterilized, how should they be placed in the steam sterilizer? 

Why are large steam sterilizers loaded with space between wrapped items or trays? 

What is the term for inanimate objects that harbor microorganisms that contribute to environmental contamination? 

Which of the following is NOT a classification of patient care items? 

Which of the following would be appropriate for use on animate surfaces? 

Which of the following patient care items would be classified as noncritical? 

What is the term for the condition of a surgical technologist’s skin after performing a surgical scrub? 

Which type of chemical solution is made of catalysts that aid in breaking down proteinaceous debris such as blood and fat? 

What is the common name for the high-level disinfectant sodium hypochlorite? 

What is another name for the intermediate-level disinfectant compound phenol? 

Which of the following would be appropriate for soaking instruments covered with bioburden during a surgical procedure? 

What is the term used to describe the process of removing all soiled linen, waste, and instruments from the room and cleaning of furniture, floors, or other contaminated surfaces in preparation for opening new supplies for a subsequent case? 

All of the following are environmental specifications for the decontamination room in CSPD EXCEPT: 

During manual cleaning of surgical instruments, what type of solution should be used? 

Which types of instruments must be cleaned with bristle-brushes on wires, pipe cleaners, or handheld pressure guns? 

What is a potential risk of placing surgical instruments of dissimilar metallic type together in a washer sterilizer cycle? 

What is the term for the process of lubricating stiffened stainless steel surgical instruments by immersion in a water- soluble solution? 

Which of the following cleaning methods for surgical instrumentation relies on bubbles imploding, creating a vacuum that dislodges minute particles in crevices of instruments? 

Which type of surgical instrument must NEVER be immersed in any type of mechanical decontaminating equipment? 

Why are items disinfected or sterilized in activated glutaraldehyde dried prior to submersion? 

Before opening any sterilely packaged item, what is MOST important to verify about the package? 

Which of the following is an acceptable position for placement of a scrubbed, gowned, and gloved surgical technologist’s hands? 

Sterilely attired surgical team members should pass one another in any of the following ways EXCEPT: 

A nonsterile person should approach a sterile area face forward while maintaining a distance of: 

When a sterilely attired surgical technologist drapes an unsterile table, he or she opens the drape: 

Which of the following is the MOST important factor in a surgical technologist’s role in preventing surgical site infections? 

Which of the following concepts has replaced the previous system of assessing storage conditions and package integrity based on an arbitrary expiration designation? 

Which method of sterilization uses gamma rays or beta particles and is chiefly used by large manufacturing companies? 

Which of the following statements regarding peracetic acid sterilized items is CORRECT?

The recommended biological indicator (BI) for hydrogen peroxide gas plasma is: 

The Bowie-Dick test is performed for which sterilization method? 

Which of the following should NEVER be processed by immediate-use (flash) sterilization methods? 

What is the name of the outside area of an autoclave where steam is created before injection into the interior compartment? 

Which kind of quality control device consists of a paper that has been impregnated with a dye that changes color in the presence of a specified temperature and sterilant? 

Where should the biological test pack be placed on the steam sterilization cart for the first run of the day? 

How long should the steam biological indicator be incubated before the reading is recorded? 

Personnel in CSPD who must move instruments from the ethylene oxide sterilizer to an aeration room should do which of the following with the cart to reduce their exposure to vented gases? 

What is the advantage of using ethylene oxide gas sterilization? 

Which method of chemical sterilization has limitations based on the challenge of diffusion into narrow lumens? 

Why are instruments placed in perforated or mesh-bottom trays for sterilization? 

What would be the exposure phase time for an unwrapped instrument set with some lumens in a prevacuum/dynamic air removal steam autoclave? 

In steam sterilization, thermal destruction of microbes is the result of the denaturation and coagulation of protein within the cells. 

Gravity displacement steam sterilizer cycles are much shorter than prevacuum cycles. 

Sterilization process monitors include mechanical, chemical, and biological methods to ensure all parameters were met. 

Internal chemical indicator/integrators should be placed in the center or most challenging portion of a tray for the sterilant to reach. 

The relative humidity in an ethylene oxide sterilizer should be below 30% to aid in the penetration of the gas through bacterial spores’ protective coating. 

Type of organisms whose organelles are not membrane bound; divide by binary fission; includes bacteria 

Nonliving obligate intracellular parasites; contain either DNA or RNA, but not both 

Long, thin structure attached to the outside of a cell; motility achieved by whipping motion 

Organism most commonly associated with surgical site infections 

Nonliving proteinaceous infectious particle; contains no DNA or RNA; responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

 Classification of parasites such as cysticerci (pork tapeworms) that can create lesions in the brain and soft tissues, which require surgical removal

Fungal infection caused by bread mold; sometimes seen in immune-suppressed organ transplant patients 

Anaerobic gram-positive bacteria responsible for gas gangrene, cellulitis, and fasciitis 

Aerobic, gram-negative bacilli responsible for many gastric ulcers 

Bacterial species that can survive in environmental extremes and whose genetic material is enclosed within a protein capsule until conditions are favorable for reproduction