Certified Surgical Technologist Surgical Instrumentation and Equipment 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which instrument is used to hold the edges of a wound apart during wound closure to facilitate suturing?
- Senn retractor
- Skin hooks (Correct answer)
- Gelpi retractor
- Joseph skin hook
Correct answer: Skin hooks
Skin hooks are small, sharp hooks that gently retract wound edges without crushing tissue, facilitating precise suture placement during closure.
Question 2: The CUSA (Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator) is used primarily for:
- Sealing blood vessels with ultrasonic energy
- Fragmenting and aspirating soft tissue tumors with minimal blood loss (Correct answer)
- Cutting bone with ultrasonic vibration
- Irrigating the surgical field
Correct answer: Fragmenting and aspirating soft tissue tumors with minimal blood loss
The CUSA uses ultrasonic vibration to selectively fragment soft tissue (such as tumors) while sparing blood vessels and bile ducts, then aspirates the debris.
Question 3: Which instrument is used to measure the depth of a bone tunnel during ACL reconstruction?
- Depth gauge (Correct answer)
- Caliper
- Bone awl
- Arthroscopic probe
Correct answer: Depth gauge
A depth gauge is inserted into the bone tunnel to measure its depth, ensuring proper graft length selection during ACL reconstruction.
Question 4: A Penrose drain differs from a Jackson-Pratt drain in that the Penrose drain:
- Uses active suction to remove fluid
- Is a passive drain with no suction mechanism (Correct answer)
- Is made of rigid silicone tubing
- Contains multiple perforations along its length
Correct answer: Is a passive drain with no suction mechanism
A Penrose drain is a soft rubber tube that passively allows fluid to drain by gravity and capillary action, while a Jackson-Pratt uses closed active suction.
Question 5: Which type of laser is most commonly used in ophthalmologic procedures for retinal photocoagulation?
- CO2 laser
- Nd:YAG laser
- Argon laser (Correct answer)
- Holmium laser
Correct answer: Argon laser
The argon laser produces green light that is selectively absorbed by hemoglobin and retinal pigment epithelium, making it ideal for retinal photocoagulation.
Question 6: During instrumentation setup, instruments should be organized on the back table according to:
- Alphabetical order by instrument name
- The order of use during the procedure (Correct answer)
- Size from largest to smallest
- Manufacturer's catalog number
Correct answer: The order of use during the procedure
Instruments are arranged on the back table in the order they will be used during the procedure to allow efficient, rapid passing without searching.
Question 7: The function of a 'pledget' in cardiovascular surgery is to:
- Measure cardiac output intraoperatively
- Reinforce sutures placed in friable cardiac tissue (Correct answer)
- Occlude coronary vessels temporarily
- Absorb irrigation fluid from the pericardium
Correct answer: Reinforce sutures placed in friable cardiac tissue
Pledgets are small pieces of felt or Teflon used to reinforce sutures in fragile cardiac tissue, distributing tension and preventing sutures from tearing through.
Certified Surgical Technologist Surgical Instrumentation and Equipment 5
Which instrument is used to hold the edges of a wound apart during wound closure to facilitate suturing?