Operating Room 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 Operating Room flashcards as text
A scrub person notices that a suture package has a compromised seal. What is the correct action?
Answer: Pass it off to the circulator and open a new package
A compromised seal means sterility cannot be guaranteed; the item must be removed from the sterile field and replaced.
Which hemostatic agent works by providing a physical matrix that promotes platelet aggregation and fibrin deposition?
Answer: Gelatin foam (Gelfoam)
Gelatin foam acts as a physical scaffold that absorbs blood and supports the natural clotting cascade through platelet aggregation.
The perioperative nurse notes that a patient's core temperature is 35.2°C intraoperatively. Which intervention is most appropriate?
Answer: Increase room temperature and apply a forced-air warming blanket
Increasing ambient temperature and applying active warming devices are the first-line interventions for intraoperative hypothermia.
Which gas is used to insufflate the abdominal cavity during laparoscopic surgery and why?
Answer: Carbon dioxide, because it is non-flammable, highly soluble, and rapidly absorbed
CO2 is used because it is non-combustible, rapidly absorbed by the body, and inexpensive, minimizing embolic risk compared to other gases.
Which instrument is used to visualize the vocal cords for endotracheal intubation?
Answer: Laryngoscope
A laryngoscope is used to directly visualize the larynx and vocal cords to guide endotracheal tube placement.
What is the primary purpose of a sterile drape placed over the surgical field?
Answer: To create a sterile barrier between the surgical site and surrounding environment
Drapes establish and maintain a sterile field by creating a microbial barrier around the operative site.
A patient undergoing general anesthesia develops masseter muscle rigidity after succinylcholine administration. What condition should be suspected immediately?
Answer: Malignant hyperthermia
Masseter muscle rigidity following succinylcholine is an early warning sign of malignant hyperthermia, a life-threatening hypermetabolic crisis triggered by certain anesthetic agents.