CSPT Aseptic Technique and Garbing 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: USP <797> requires that sterile compounding personnel perform hand hygiene using a specific method. Which describes the correct technique?
- A 15-second rinse with warm water only
- A 30-second scrub with a waterless alcohol-based hand rub after removing jewelry
- A vigorous 30-second wash with soap and water, rinsing from fingertips to elbows (Correct answer)
- A 10-second scrub with antiseptic soap followed by immediate gloving
Correct answer: A vigorous 30-second wash with soap and water, rinsing from fingertips to elbows
USP <797> requires a thorough hand wash with soap and water for at least 30 seconds, washing from fingertips to elbows to prevent recontamination.
Question 2: Which personal behavior is MOST likely to compromise aseptic technique during sterile compounding?
- Speaking briefly while wearing a mask inside the ISO 5 zone
- Adjusting PPE inside the cleanroom by touching the face or hair (Correct answer)
- Using two pairs of gloves (double-gloving)
- Performing slow, deliberate movements during manipulations
Correct answer: Adjusting PPE inside the cleanroom by touching the face or hair
Touching the face or hair while gloved inside the cleanroom contaminates the gloves and can transfer microorganisms to critical sites.
Question 3: What is the minimum recommended time a LAFW or BSC should run before use to purge the work zone with HEPA-filtered air?
- 5 minutes
- 10 minutes
- 30 minutes (Correct answer)
- 60 minutes
Correct answer: 30 minutes
USP <797> recommends running the LAFW or BSC for at least 30 minutes before compounding to ensure the work zone is adequately purged with HEPA-filtered air.
Question 4: When wiping a vial rubber stopper with 70% IPA before needle insertion, what technique should be used?
- Rub back and forth multiple times and insert the needle while still wet
- Wipe in one direction and allow the IPA to dry completely before puncturing (Correct answer)
- Spray IPA directly into the vial and wipe with a non-sterile cloth
- Soak the stopper in IPA for 5 minutes before use
Correct answer: Wipe in one direction and allow the IPA to dry completely before puncturing
A single unidirectional wipe with 70% IPA followed by complete drying prevents 'swimming in' contaminants and ensures the sporicidal action is complete before needle insertion.
Question 5: A technician with a known active respiratory infection (e.g., influenza) reports for a sterile compounding shift. What is the appropriate course of action per aseptic technique principles?
- Allow work with double masking to contain droplets
- Reassign the technician away from sterile compounding duties until recovered (Correct answer)
- Permit work only in the anteroom, not the cleanroom
- Require the technician to use a face shield in place of a mask
Correct answer: Reassign the technician away from sterile compounding duties until recovered
Active respiratory infections increase the risk of airborne microbial contamination; affected personnel should be excluded from sterile compounding until recovered.
Question 6: During compounding, a technician drops a syringe tip on the LAFW work surface but it does not contact anything outside the hood. What should the technician do?
- Pick it up and continue use since it stayed inside the ISO 5 area
- Discard the syringe and obtain a new sterile one (Correct answer)
- Wipe the tip with 70% IPA and continue
- Cap the syringe immediately and continue if work is time-sensitive
Correct answer: Discard the syringe and obtain a new sterile one
Any component that contacts an unsterile or uncertain surface—including the LAFW work surface itself—must be discarded because sterility cannot be guaranteed.
Question 7: What is the correct method for removing outer sterile gloves when double-gloving, to avoid contaminating the inner gloves?
- Pull the outer gloves off from the fingertips toward the wrist, turning them inside out (Correct answer)
- Use scissors to cut the outer gloves off at the wrist
- Ask another technician to remove the outer gloves
- Peel the outer gloves from the wrist area, touching only the inside surface
Correct answer: Pull the outer gloves off from the fingertips toward the wrist, turning them inside out
Removing outer gloves by peeling from the fingertips toward the wrist turns them inside out, ensuring the contaminated outer surface does not touch the inner gloves.
CSPT Aseptic Technique and Garbing 5
USP requires that sterile compounding personnel perform hand hygiene using a specific method.
Which describes the correct technique?