Certified Surgical Technologist Preoperative Care and Preparation Questions and Answers

Question 1

A 6-year-old patient is scheduled for a tonsillectomy. According to standard NPO guidelines, what is the minimum fasting period required for solid foods before surgery?

Accepted Answer

8 hours

Answer

2 hours

Answer

4 hours

Answer

6 hours

Question 2

Which of the following is the PRIMARY responsibility of the surgical technologist regarding the surgical consent form?

Accepted Answer

Verifying that the signed consent form is in the patient's chart before the procedure begins.

Answer

Explaining the risks and benefits of the procedure to the patient.

Answer

Obtaining the patient's signature on the form.

Answer

Determining if the patient is mentally competent to sign the consent.

Question 3

A patient is scheduled for a left knee arthroscopy. According to the Universal Protocol, which action is most critical for preventing wrong-site surgery?

Accepted Answer

Marking the operative site with an indelible marker before the patient is sedated.

Answer

Verifying the patient's name and date of birth.

Answer

Reviewing the patient's imaging studies in the operating room.

Answer

Confirming the procedure with the circulating nurse.

Question 4

When preparing a patient's skin for surgery, which of the following is the primary goal of the preoperative skin prep?

Accepted Answer

To reduce the number of microorganisms on the skin to an irreducible minimum.

Answer

To sterilize the patient's skin.

Answer

To remove all resident and transient flora.

Answer

To remove hair from the surgical site.

Question 5

A patient arrives in the preoperative holding area for a hernia repair. The surgical technologist's review of the patient's chart is an essential part of the preparation. Which of the following findings should be immediately reported to the surgeon and anesthesia provider?

Accepted Answer

The patient states they had a bowl of cereal two hours ago.

Answer

The patient has a documented allergy to latex.

Answer

The patient's history and physical was completed yesterday.

Answer

The patient reports taking their prescribed blood pressure medication with a sip of water this morning.

Question 6

During preoperative patient identification, which of the following methods is considered the most reliable practice according to WHO guidelines?

Accepted Answer

Using at least two patient identifiers, such as name and date of birth.

Answer

Asking the patient, "Are you John Smith?"

Answer

Checking the patient's room number against the surgical schedule.

Answer

Matching the patient's appearance to their chart photograph.

A 6-year-old patient is scheduled for a tonsillectomy.According to standard NPO guidelines, what is the minimum fasting period required for solid foods before surgery?

A 6-year-old patient is scheduled for a tonsillectomy.
According to standard NPO guidelines, what is the minimum fasting period required for solid foods before surgery?