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Surgical Assisting Procedures Flashcards

7 cards from real COT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Surgical Assisting Procedures flashcards as text

  1. When setting up a cataract surgery instrument tray, which item is used to hold the eyelid open during the procedure?

    Answer: Lid speculum

    A lid speculum is placed between the eyelids to keep the eye open and maintain exposure throughout cataract surgery.

  2. During phacoemulsification, the ophthalmic surgical technician should anticipate handing the surgeon which instrument immediately after the capsulorhexis is completed?

    Answer: Hydrodissection cannula

    After capsulorhexis, hydrodissection separates the lens nucleus from the capsule, requiring the hydrodissection cannula next.

  3. What is the correct technique for handling ophthalmic microsurgical instruments to prevent damage?

    Answer: Hold by the shaft and avoid touching the tips

    Microsurgical instrument tips are delicate and must never contact hard surfaces; handling by the shaft protects their precision alignment.

  4. Which balanced salt solution (BSS) characteristic is most critical when irrigating the anterior chamber during surgery?

    Answer: Isotonic and buffered to physiologic pH

    Anterior chamber irrigation requires isotonic, pH-balanced BSS to protect corneal endothelial cells and maintain ocular integrity.

  5. A surgeon requests a 10-0 nylon suture during corneal repair. Which needle type is most appropriate for this suture?

    Answer: Spatula needle

    Spatula needles are designed for lamellar tissue like the cornea, passing between layers without perforating them inadvertently.

  6. During a trabeculectomy, the surgical technician should have which medication ready to apply to the scleral flap to reduce scarring?

    Answer: Mitomycin C

    Mitomycin C is an antimetabolite applied intraoperatively during trabeculectomy to inhibit fibroblast proliferation and prevent bleb scarring.

  7. When assisting with strabismus surgery, the ophthalmic technician should recognize that the recession procedure involves which action?

    Answer: Detaching the muscle and reattaching it further from the limbus

    Recession weakens an extraocular muscle by detaching it from the globe and reattaching it at a more posterior position.