Certified Surgical Technologist Preoperative Care and Preparation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which document must be completed and signed before a patient can be transported to the OR for an elective surgical procedure?
- NPO confirmation form
- Informed consent (Correct answer)
- Advance directive
- Insurance authorization
Correct answer: Informed consent
Informed consent must be obtained and signed by the patient or legal guardian before any elective surgical procedure can proceed.
Question 2: A patient scheduled for abdominal surgery reports taking warfarin daily. What is the most critical preoperative action?
- Proceed without changes as warfarin is safe perioperatively
- Notify the surgeon and anesthesia provider immediately (Correct answer)
- Double the patient's dose to prevent clotting during surgery
- Administer vitamin K without a physician order
Correct answer: Notify the surgeon and anesthesia provider immediately
Warfarin significantly increases bleeding risk, so the surgeon and anesthesia team must be notified to manage anticoagulation appropriately before surgery.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of the preoperative surgical site marking?
- To identify the incision length for billing purposes
- To ensure the correct site and side are operated on (Correct answer)
- To mark areas for antiseptic application only
- To indicate placement of the electrosurgical dispersive pad
Correct answer: To ensure the correct site and side are operated on
Surgical site marking is a patient safety measure to prevent wrong-site surgery by clearly identifying the correct operative location.
Question 4: Which preoperative lab value is most critical to review before a patient undergoes general anesthesia?
- Serum albumin
- Hemoglobin and hematocrit (Correct answer)
- Urine specific gravity
- Serum calcium
Correct answer: Hemoglobin and hematocrit
Hemoglobin and hematocrit values indicate oxygen-carrying capacity and identify anemia that could compromise patient safety during general anesthesia.
Question 5: A patient states they ate a full meal 3 hours before arriving for a scheduled procedure. What should the surgical technologist do?
- Proceed with the case since 3 hours is adequate fasting time
- Notify the surgeon and anesthesia provider before the procedure begins (Correct answer)
- Administer an antiemetic and continue with preparation
- Document the information and do not inform anyone
Correct answer: Notify the surgeon and anesthesia provider before the procedure begins
NPO status of at least 6-8 hours for solids is required; a non-fasted patient is at risk for aspiration and the team must be notified to determine if surgery can proceed.
Question 6: During the preoperative assessment, the patient reports a latex allergy. Which action should occur FIRST?
- Apply a latex allergy wristband and alert the entire surgical team (Correct answer)
- Continue preparation and document the allergy in the chart only
- Switch all gloves to vinyl and proceed without further precautions
- Delay surgery until a latex-free OR suite is built
Correct answer: Apply a latex allergy wristband and alert the entire surgical team
Immediately applying a latex allergy wristband and alerting all team members ensures the entire OR is prepared with latex-free supplies before the patient enters.
Question 7: What is the correct sequence for applying antimicrobial skin prep to a surgical site?
- From the periphery toward the incision site
- From the incision site outward in a circular motion (Correct answer)
- Randomly across the entire field for complete coverage
- From inferior to superior regardless of incision location
Correct answer: From the incision site outward in a circular motion
Skin prep is applied from the cleanest area (incision site) outward to the periphery to prevent dragging microorganisms toward the surgical site.
Certified Surgical Technologist Preoperative Care and Preparation 2
Which document must be completed and signed before a patient can be transported to the OR for an elective surgical procedure?