OR Setup & Room Turnover Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 OR Setup & Room Turnover flashcards as text
Which of the following tasks is the responsibility of the CIRCULATING nurse rather than the scrub technician during OR setup?
Answer: Completing the pre-operative safety checklist and positioning the patient
The circulator manages the non-sterile environment including patient positioning, documentation, and running the pre-operative safety checklist.
Humidity in the OR should be maintained between which levels to reduce static electricity and microbial growth?
Answer: 20–60%
ASHRAE and AORN recommend 20–60% relative humidity in the OR to reduce static electricity and limit conditions that promote microbial survival.
A sterile package is found to be wet when delivered to the OR. The scrub technician should:
Answer: Consider it contaminated and obtain a replacement
A wet sterile package has experienced strike-through contamination via moisture and must be discarded regardless of appearance.
When passing a scalpel to the surgeon, the safest technique for the scrub technician is to:
Answer: Place it in a neutral zone or pass it handle-first with blade pointed down
Using a neutral zone or passing handle-first with the blade pointed away protects both the surgeon and scrub tech from sharps injury.
What is the FIRST step a scrub technician should take when a break in sterile technique is suspected but not confirmed?
Answer: Assume contamination occurred and take corrective action immediately
When sterility is in doubt, it must be considered contaminated; the scrub tech should act immediately to protect the patient.
Which area of the surgical gown is considered NON-sterile even after proper donning?
Answer: Back of the gown and axillary region
The back of the gown and axillary regions cannot be visualized by the wearer and are therefore not considered part of the sterile zone.
During OR room turnover, used sharps (needles, blades) should be disposed of by:
Answer: The scrub technician removing them with forceps directly into a sharps container without recapping
OSHA mandates that sharps be placed uncapped into an approved sharps container using mechanical means such as forceps to prevent needlestick injuries.