ASEPTIC TECHNIQUE

Biotechnology 8
According to Cherney (2018),
bacteria are everywhere and some
are good for you while others are
harmful. Bacteria, viruses, and other
microorganisms that cause disease
are called pathogens
To protect patients from harmful
bacteria and other pathogens during
medical procedures, healthcare
providers use aseptic technique.
Your immune system is strong, but
many procedures can carry germs
into your body past your normal
immune defenses. The simplest and
safest way to prevent infection is to
keep things as clean as possible.
Aseptic technique does just that. It’s
designed to keep dangerous bacteria
and other microorganisms out of
wounds and protect you from infections
when you’re recovering. Without these
techniques, everything from surgery to
simple IV lines would be much more
dangerous.
Aseptic technique means using practices
and procedures to prevent contamination
from pathogens. It involves applying the
strictest rules to minimize the risk of
infection. Healthcare workers use aseptic
technique in surgery rooms, clinics,
outpatient care centers, and other health
care settings.
This topic will help you to familiarize
yourself with various aseptic
techniques and its importance in
preventing the transfer of germs to
or from an open wound and other
susceptible areas on one’s body.
Sterile technique. The strictest form of
aseptic technique, sterile technique is
intended to provide a space that has no
germs whatsoever. Sterile technique is used
in surgeries and other large, invasive
procedures where infection could be the
most dangerous. It requires a sterile room,
gloves, gowns, caps tools, and masks, along
with handwashing and aseptic fields.
Surgical aseptic technique. This is a
strict form of aseptic technique that can be
used outside the operating room. It uses
everything that sterile technique uses except
for the sterile operating suite. Doctors use
surgical aseptic technique for procedures
that are complicated, take a long time, or
involve many parts of the body.
Standard aseptic technique. The
most common type of aseptic technique.
This is the sterilization process used for
things like dialysis or IV insertions.
Doctors use handwashing, small aseptic
fields, and masks and gloves to keep
these small areas free from germs.
Direction: Unscramble the letters below
to get the correct word.
What’s the importance
of Aseptic Technique?
The skin is the body's first line of defense
against germs. A person is vulnerable to
infection as soon as there is a break in
their skin. Aseptic technique helps prevent
healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, one in every 31
hospital patients will have at least one
HCAI.
Common HCAIs include:
-catheter-associated urinary tract infection
- central line-associated bloodstream
infection
- Clostridium difficile infection
- surgical site infection
- ventilator-associated pneumonia
Using aseptic technique prevents the spread of infection by
harmful germs. Aseptic techniques range from simple
practices, such as using alcohol to sterilize the skin, to full
surgical asepsis. Healthcare professionals use aseptic
technique when they are:
1. performing surgical procedures
2. performing biopsies
3. dressing surgical wounds or burns
4. suturing wounds
5. inserting a urinary catheter, wound drain, intravenous line, or chest
tube
6. administering injections
7. using instruments to conduct a vaginal examination
8. delivering babies
Guide Questions:
1.) What would be the possible effect if a person
has a break on his skin?
2.) Cite three instances where health professionals
use aseptic technique and give its importance.
3.) Cite three healthcare-associated infections
which aseptic technique can prevent.