Intraoperative Care and Safety Flashcards
7 cards from real CNOR practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Intraoperative Care and Safety flashcards as text
When a flash (immediate-use) sterilization cycle is used for a dropped instrument, what documentation is required?
Answer: The patient's name, implant status, reason for flash sterilization, and cycle parameters must be documented
AORN and AAMI guidelines require complete documentation including patient identification, reason, implant/non-implant status, and cycle parameters for every flash sterilization cycle.
A patient's blood pressure drops suddenly during a procedure using spinal anesthesia. Which positioning intervention can help reverse this hypotension?
Answer: Place the patient in Trendelenburg position
Trendelenburg (head-down) positioning increases venous return to the heart, which can temporarily raise blood pressure in spinal-anesthesia-induced hypotension.
Which action best prevents retained foreign bodies during procedures in deep cavities or with limited visualization?
Answer: Using only radiopaque sponges and instruments
Using exclusively radiopaque items ensures that if a count discrepancy occurs, imaging can locate any retained body with high reliability.
Which grounding pad placement site is contraindicated for a monopolar ESU dispersive electrode?
Answer: Over a bony prominence or scar tissue
Bony prominences and scar tissue have poor vascularity and uneven contact, increasing current density and the risk of burns at the dispersive electrode site.
A scrub person drops a sponge off the sterile field. What is the correct action?
Answer: Isolate it from the sterile field and inform the circulator to account for it in the count
The dropped sponge must be isolated from the sterile field and the circulator must immediately account for it to maintain an accurate running count.
What does a biological indicator (BI) confirm during sterilization monitoring?
Answer: That sterilization conditions were adequate to kill highly resistant bacterial spores
Biological indicators contain highly resistant bacterial spores (e.g., Geobacillus stearothermophilus) and are the gold standard to confirm the sterilization process achieved lethality.
During a procedure, the circulating nurse observes that the sterile drape has become wet from a spill underneath. What should be done?
Answer: Consider the area contaminated and change the drape
Strike-through contamination occurs when moisture creates a pathway for microorganisms through the drape; a wet drape must be considered contaminated and replaced.