IAHCSMM OR Liaison and Surgical Instrument Specialties 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization publishes the standards most commonly referenced for surgical instrument reprocessing in the United States?
- OSHA
- AAMI (Correct answer)
- CDC
- TJC
Correct answer: AAMI
AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) publishes ST79, the primary U.S. guideline for surgical instrument reprocessing.
Question 2: During an OR liaison visit, the CS technician notices a surgeon's preferred instrument set is missing a Metzenbaum scissors. What is the BEST immediate action?
- Proceed with surgery and document the shortage after
- Notify the circulating nurse and attempt to locate a replacement before the case starts (Correct answer)
- Substitute a Mayo scissors without informing the team
- Cancel the case until the exact instrument is located
Correct answer: Notify the circulating nurse and attempt to locate a replacement before the case starts
The CS liaison should immediately communicate with the OR team and attempt to source the missing instrument before the case begins to avoid intraoperative delays.
Question 3: Tungsten carbide inserts in surgical instruments are identified by which feature?
- Black anodized handles
- Gold-colored handles or rings (Correct answer)
- Stainless steel finger rings
- Blue chromium coating
Correct answer: Gold-colored handles or rings
Tungsten carbide instruments are identified by gold-colored handles or rings, indicating harder cutting edges with superior durability.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a case cart system in the OR/CS workflow?
- To transport patients between floors
- To store permanently assigned instruments in the OR
- To deliver all instruments and supplies needed for a specific surgical case to the OR (Correct answer)
- To house sterilization equipment at the point of use
Correct answer: To deliver all instruments and supplies needed for a specific surgical case to the OR
A case cart system delivers all instruments, supplies, and equipment required for a specific scheduled surgical procedure directly to the OR.
Question 5: A laparoscopic trocar with a blunt-tipped obturator is designed to reduce the risk of:
- Port-site infections
- Inadvertent visceral injury during insertion (Correct answer)
- Carbon dioxide leakage during insufflation
- Instrument fogging
Correct answer: Inadvertent visceral injury during insertion
Blunt-tipped obturators reduce the risk of accidental puncture of abdominal organs compared to sharp-tipped designs.
Question 6: When validating a surgeon's preference card, the CS OR liaison should PRIMARILY verify:
- The surgeon's board certification status
- That all listed instruments and supplies are available and correctly assembled (Correct answer)
- The surgical scheduling system's OR block time
- The patient's insurance authorization
Correct answer: That all listed instruments and supplies are available and correctly assembled
The OR liaison's role in preference card validation is to confirm all instruments and supplies are present and assembled per the surgeon's specifications.
Question 7: Which type of surgical instrument is most commonly used to retract soft tissue away from the operative field without active cutting?
- Hemostat
- Retractor (Correct answer)
- Needle driver
- Dissector
Correct answer: Retractor
Retractors are specifically designed to hold back tissue to expose the operative site without performing cutting or clamping functions.
IAHCSMM OR Liaison and Surgical Instrument Specialties 2
Which organization publishes the standards most commonly referenced for surgical instrument reprocessing in the United States?