Medical Asepsis Flashcards

Asepsis and Related Definitions

• Asepsis: State free from infection; absence of disease-causing microorganisms.
• Antiseptic: Agent that inhibits growth of organisms without necessarily destroying them; typically used on people.
• Bactericide: Substance that destroys bacteria but not spores; also known as germicides.
• Clean Area: An area free from pathogenic microorganisms.

Disinfection and Sterilization

• Disinfectant: Destroys pathogens on inanimate objects but usually does not eliminate spores.
• Disinfection: The process of eliminating pathogens to ensure a safe environment.
• Medical Asepsis: Methods to prevent the spread of pathogens, also referred to as clean technique.
• Sterile: Complete absence of all microorganisms, including spores.
• Sterilization: The process of destroying all microorganisms and spores, critical for surgical procedures.

Isolation Techniques

• Nosocomial Infections: Infections acquired during healthcare delivery; can be exogenous (from others) or endogenous (from the patient).
• Handwashing: Most vital aspect of medical asepsis; primary method for preventing infection transmission.

Infection Transmission and Isolation

• Types of Infection Transmission:
  • Contact: Direct, indirect, or droplet contact.
  • Vehicle: Through food, water, drugs, or blood.
  • Airborne: Transmission via droplets or dust particles.
  • Vector-borne: Transmission via organisms like mosquitoes.

Isolation Measures and Precautions

• Isolation Techniques:
  • Strict Isolation: Private room, closed door, mask, gown, gloves, and strict hand hygiene for all contaminated items.
  • Contact Isolation: Similar to strict isolation but allows sharing when necessary; mask and gown usage will vary based on contact likelihood.
  • Respiratory Isolation: Focused on preventing respiratory infections; using masks, private rooms, and proper sanitation.
  • Tuberculosis Isolation: Requires specialized ventilation in private rooms and precautions similar to strict isolation.
  • Enteric Isolation: Private room standards if patient hygiene is poor; gown and gloves if contact is likely.
  • Drainage/Secretion Precautions: Gown and gloves based on risk of contamination; hand hygiene and proper disposal of contaminated items.
  • Blood/Body Fluid Precautions: Similar isolation measures with urgent cleaning of spills using disinfectants.

Additional Considerations

• Distance for Masks: Maintain distance of at least 3 feet when in contact with patients at risk of droplet transmission.
• Disposal of Material: Contaminated linens and dressings should be bagged, labeled, and disposed of according to clinic protocols.
• Identification of Double Hot Water Soluble Linen Bag: Recognizable by its red cloth color.

Overall Types of Isolation

• Categories of isolation: strict, contact, respiratory, tuberculosis, enteric, drainage/secretion, and blood/body fluids.