UTC Safety & Infection Control 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which PPE item is required when performing ultrasound on a patient in Contact Precautions?
- N95 respirator only
- Gloves and gown (Correct answer)
- Face shield only
- Surgical mask only
Correct answer: Gloves and gown
Contact Precautions require gloves and gown to prevent transmission of organisms spread by direct or indirect contact.
Question 2: What is the minimum soak time for high-level disinfection of transvaginal probes using glutaraldehyde per most manufacturer guidelines?
- 5 minutes
- 10 minutes
- 20 minutes
- 45 minutes (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 45 minutes
High-level disinfection with 2% glutaraldehyde typically requires a minimum of 45 minutes of immersion to eliminate all microorganisms except bacterial spores.
Question 3: A sonographer has a needlestick injury during a procedure. What is the FIRST action to take?
- Report to the supervisor immediately
- Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Apply a tourniquet above the puncture site
- Complete an incident report form
Correct answer: Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water
The immediate first step after a needlestick is to wash the wound with soap and water to reduce contamination before any reporting or documentation.
Question 4: Which ultrasound probe requires sterilization (rather than just high-level disinfection) between patients?
- Transabdominal probe used over intact skin
- Transrectal probe used with a sterile sheath in a sterile body cavity (Correct answer)
- Linear array probe used for superficial vascular imaging
- Phased array probe used for cardiac imaging
Correct answer: Transrectal probe used with a sterile sheath in a sterile body cavity
Probes introduced into sterile body cavities require sterilization because even high-level disinfection does not eliminate all spores.
Question 5: What does the term 'Transmission-Based Precautions' refer to in healthcare settings?
- Standard precautions applied to all patients regardless of diagnosis
- Additional infection control measures for patients with known or suspected infectious disease (Correct answer)
- Protocols for transmitting patient data between departments
- Guidelines for disinfecting ultrasound equipment after each use
Correct answer: Additional infection control measures for patients with known or suspected infectious disease
Transmission-Based Precautions are extra measures beyond Standard Precautions used for patients with specific infectious diseases to interrupt transmission routes.
Question 6: When using probe covers for endocavitary ultrasound, what should the sonographer do if the cover tears during the procedure?
- Continue the exam and note the torn cover in the report
- Complete the exam, then perform high-level disinfection on the probe (Correct answer)
- Stop immediately, replace the cover, then resume
- Report the incident to infection control but continue
Correct answer: Complete the exam, then perform high-level disinfection on the probe
If a probe cover tears during an endocavitary exam, the exam should be completed if clinically necessary and then the probe must undergo high-level disinfection before its next use.
Question 7: Which classification of items includes instruments that contact intact mucous membranes and requires high-level disinfection?
- Critical items
- Semi-critical items (Correct answer)
- Non-critical items
- Sterile items
Correct answer: Semi-critical items
Semi-critical items contact intact mucous membranes or non-intact skin and require high-level disinfection according to the Spaulding classification system.
UTC Safety & Infection Control 2
Which PPE item is required when performing ultrasound on a patient in Contact Precautions?