Surgical Asepsis & Sterile Technique 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 Surgical Asepsis & Sterile Technique flashcards as text
A circulator notices that a sterile team member has contaminated their glove by touching a non-sterile surface. The circulator should:
Answer: Immediately and clearly inform the scrub of the contamination
The circulator must immediately and clearly communicate any observed break in sterile technique so it can be corrected before patient harm occurs.
Which of the following correctly describes the sterile zone on a draped OR table?
Answer: Only the area directly above the table surface within the drape edges
Only the top flat surface of the sterile-draped table is considered sterile; the sides and hanging portions are not sterile.
When a sterile item is handed from the scrub to a non-sterile team member, it becomes:
Answer: Contaminated immediately upon transfer
Once a sterile item is passed to an unsterile team member, it is immediately considered contaminated.
What action should be taken if there is doubt about the sterility of an item on the sterile field?
Answer: Consider it contaminated and remove it from the field
The principle 'when in doubt, throw it out' means any questionable item must be removed from the sterile field and replaced.
Which type of indicator confirms that sterilization conditions were met inside a sterilization load?
Answer: Biological indicator (BI)
Biological indicators use live spores to confirm that sterilization conditions were sufficient to kill the most resistant organisms.
During a procedure, a Mayo stand is moved away from the sterile field and positioned over the patient's legs. The items on the Mayo stand are:
Answer: Still sterile because the stand was not touched by anyone
The Mayo stand remains sterile as long as its contents were not contaminated during the move and it stays within the sterile zone at table level.
Which principle best explains why sterile team members should face each other when passing in the OR?
Answer: Sterile-to-sterile contact is safer than sterile-to-unsterile contact
When sterile team members must pass each other, they face front-to-front so sterile surfaces contact sterile surfaces rather than risking back-to-front unsterile contact.