Nokea
A nurse is attempting to insert a sterile catheter into a patient?s bladder. The nurse accidentally brushes the tip of the catheter against the side rail of the bed. The patient is unaware of this incident. Which action will the nurse take?
- A. Clean the tip of the catheter with an alcohol swab and continue with the procedure.
- B. Discard the contaminated catheter and begin the procedure over again.
- C. Say nothing and use the catheter anyway, since no one saw what happened.
- D. Stop the procedure, leave the room to get a fresh catheter, and resume the procedure.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Once the sterile tip of a catheter touches a non-sterile surface (like the bed rail), it is contaminated. Using it could introduce bacteria into the bladder and lead to a urinary tract infection (UTI). Sterile technique must be strictly followed during invasive procedures.
You may also like to solve these questions
The nurse will use sterile technique when performing which of the following procedures?
- A. Insertion of a urinary catheter
- B. Emptying a catheter drainage bag
- C. Starting an IV line
- D. Assessing the IV drip rate
- E. Performing a bed bath
- F. Suctioning the trachea
- G. Administering an insulin injection
Correct Answer: A,F
Rationale: Sterile technique (also called surgical asepsis) is used for invasive procedures or those that enter sterile body areas.
Your patient has been discharged from the hospital. Remaining in the room are an IV pump and a hemostat, a metal-hinged instrument used to clamp off tubes or blood vessels. Which actions will you take?
- A. Clean the pump with disinfectant and rinse the hemostat in cool or warm water before sending it to be sterilized.
- B. Take both items to the central supply area to be cleaned and then sterilized.
- C. Return the IV pump to the storage area on the nursing unit and throw away the hemostat.
- D. Call the housekeeping staff and ask them to dispose of the equipment when they clean the room.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Both items require proper cleaning and sterilization in central supply to ensure safety for reuse.
As you prepare for a rotation in the heart catheterization laboratory, you will expect:
- A. to change into hospital-laundered scrubs.
- B. to wear street clothes covered by a lab coat in the patient care area.
- C. that it is a restricted area to maintain asepsis.
- D. to wear your regular scrubs covered by a gown, as well as wear a mask and goggles.
Correct Answer: A,C
Rationale: The cath lab is a restricted area requiring hospital-laundered scrubs to maintain asepsis.
A nurse wearing sterile gloves pushes up his glasses with his gloved hand. The nurse?s next action 1s to:
- A. wash his hands while wearing his sterile gloves.
- B. remove the sterile gloves and wash his hands.
- C. obtain and don a second pair of sterile gloves.
- D. Both 2 and 3
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Touching personal items (like glasses) with sterile gloves contaminates them. The proper sequence is: Remove the contaminated sterile gloves, Perform hand hygiene, Don a new pair of sterile gloves
You are preparing to use a sterile pack. Which of these findings would concern you the most?
- A. The expiration date is 2 weeks in the future.
- B. It is difficult to read the initials of the person who sterilized the pack.
- C. The hash marks on the indicator tape are the same color as the tape.
- D. There are no holes or tears and no evidence of strike-through.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Hash marks not changing color indicate the pack may not be sterile, posing a contamination risk.