Ch.17 Equipment Decontamination and Infection Control Flashcards
Which of the following procedures is most often used to decontaminate a bronchoscope?
A. Ethylene oxide sterilization
B. Autoclaving
C. Pasteurization
D. Glutaraldehyde immersion
Glutaraldehyde immersion
Immersing equipment in a glutaraldehyde solution for 10 to 15 minutes results in disinfection with sterilization being achieved in 3 to 10 hours.
Diseases that may be transmitted via airborne particles include which of the following?
1. Tuberculosis
2. Legionellosis
3. Histoplasmosis
4. Pertussis
A. 1 only
B. 2 and 4 only
C. 1, 3, and 4 only
D. 1, 2, and 3 only
- Tuberculosis
- Legionellosis
- Histoplasmosis
Tuberculosis, legionellosis, and histoplasmosis are all spread by the airborne route. Standard precautions must be followed, and the patient must be placed in a private room, often equipped with a negative pressure ventilation system. All persons entering the room should wear HEPA masks for protection. Pertussis (whooping cough) is spread through droplets, so droplet precautions are implemented. A single-patient room is preferred, although cohorting is an option.
Which of the following procedures are capable of sterilizing equipment?
1. Pasteurization
2. Glutaraldehyde immersion
3. Acetic acid immersion
4. Ethylene oxide
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 2 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, and 4 only
- Glutaraldehyde immersion
- Ethylene oxide
Immersing equipment in glutaraldehyde (Cidex) for 15 minutes disinfects equipment. Immersion for 3 to 10 hours results in sterilization. Equipment exposed to ethylene oxide gas for 4 hours at 50° to 56° C will be sterilized. Acetic acid, which is commonly used in the home for cleaning equipment, disinfects but does not sterilize. Pasteurization exposes equipment to water at 60° to 70° C and disinfects in 20 to 30 minutes. Pasteurization does not have the capability to sterilize.
Which of the following should be worn as a precautionary measure when changing a patient’s ventilator circuit that incorporates a heated humidifier?
1. Gloves
2. Eye goggles
3. Gown
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2, and 3
- Gloves
- Eye goggles
- Gown
Gowns, gloves, and goggles should be worn when changing ventilator tubing to protect against the splashing of water from the circuit.
A high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter should be used in the room of a patient with which type of condition?
A. Tuberculosis
B. Adenovirus infection
C. Epiglottitis
D. Streptococcal pneumonia
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is spread by the airborne route. Standard precautions must be followed, and the patient must be placed in a private room, often equipped with a negative pressure ventilation system. All persons entering the room should wear HEPA masks for protection.
Biologic indicators are used in decontamination procedures for which of the following reasons?
A. They speed up the decontamination process.
B. They increase the concentration of liquid sterilants.
C. They indicate what organisms have contaminated the equipment.
D. They determine whether the decontamination pro- cess was effective.
They determine whether the decontamination process was effective.
Biologic indicators consist of strips of paper impregnated with bacteria that are placed in a glass ampule with a culture medium. The ampule is then placed in the sterilizer with the equipment to determine whether the procedure sterilized the equipment.
Which of the following organisms is most frequently responsible for contamination of respiratory care equipment?
A. Klebsiella
B. Serratia
C. Escherichia coli
D. Pseudomonas
Pseudomonas
Pseudomonas, a gram-negative bacteria, grows in warm, moist environments like heated humidifiers and nebulizers and can be a frequent contaminant of poorly cleaned reusable equipment. Reusable equipment such as nebulizers and humidifiers should be changed every 24 hours.
A patient is diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. Which of the following isolation precautions should the respiratory therapist recommend?
A. Droplet isolation
B. Reverse isolation
C. Airborne isolation
D. Enteric isolation
Airborne isolation
Since TB is spread through coughing and sneezing, airborne precautions is required. Airborne precautions requires caregivers to wear a HEPA mask. Gloves should be worn when treating all patients!
Which of the following is the most appropriate method to prevent the cross contamination of a respirometer that is being used on several patients?
A. Place the respirometer in activated glutaraldehyde solution between patient use.
B. Use a one-way valve so that only exhaled air flows through the respirometer.
C. Have the respirometer autoclaved after each patient use.
D. Wipe the respirometer with alcohol after each patient use.
Use a one-way valve so that only exhaled air flows through the respirometer.
To prevent the patient from breathing in contaminants from a Wright respirometer, a one-way valve should be used to allow only exhaled air to flow through the device.
Which of the following is most likely responsible for a staphylococcal outbreak in ICU patients requiring re- spiratory care?
A. Health care workers
B. Ventilators
C. Disposable humidifiers
D. Metered dose inhalers (MDIs)
Health care workers
While all equipment poses a risk of cross contamination, the highest risk occurs from health care workers. The most cost-effective method of preventing cross contamination is proper hand-washing techniques before treating any patient, even if wearing gloves.
Examples of contact diseases
- Hepatitis
- AIDS
- Venereal diseases, and resistant staphylococcal infections such as MRSA.
Examples of airborne
- Tuberculosis
- Legionellosis
- Avian flu
- Varicella
- Measles
- Small pox
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
Examples of droplet
- H. influenzae infection
- Streptococcal pneumonia
- Epiglottitis
- Pertussis
- Meningitis,
- Adenovirus infections.
is used as a disinfectant for home
care equipment and is often run through room humidifiers for cleaning purposes. It is no longer recommended for cleaning the equipment of CF patients.
Acetic acid (vinegar)
Acetic acid (vinegar) is very effective against what species?
Pseudomonas
