FUNDAMENTALS IN NURSING

ASEPSIS AND INFECTION CONTROL

Part 1

Asepsis:

The condition of being devoid of disease-causing pollutants (such as bacteria,

viruses, fungi, and parasites) or avoiding contact with microorganisms is referred
to as asepsis. Those methods used to encourage or induce asepsis in an operating
field in surgery or medicine to avoid infection are commonly referred to as asepsis

Medical Asepsis:

1. All procedures aimed at confining a certain microbe to a specific location

are included.
2. Microorganisms are limited in quantity, development, and transfer.
3. Objects that are labelled as clean or unclean (soiled, contaminated)

Surgical Asepsis:

1. sterile procedure
2. Microorganism-free practices are those that keep an area or object free of
all microorganisms.
3. Using methods that kill all germs and spores
4. All operations affecting sterile parts of the body are performed with this
device.

Aseptic Technique Fundamentals Throughout the sterile field, only sterile

materials are utilised.

1. When sterile things come into contact with non-sterile objects, they
become unsterile.
 2. Unsterile things are those that are out of sight or below the waist level of
the nurse.
3. By exposing sterile things to airborne microbes over an extended period of
time, they can become unsterile.
4. Gravity is the direction in which fluids flow.
5. By capillary response, moisture passing through a sterile item attracts
bacteria from unsterile surfaces above or below the surface.
6. A sterile field's margins are deemed unsterile.
7. The skin is unsterile because it cannot be sterilized.
8. Maintaining surgical asepsis necessitates conscientiousness, awareness,
and honesty.

Infection:

Sign of localized infection:

1. Swelling that has only occurred in one area

2. Redness that is localized
3. With palpation or movement, pain or soreness is felt.
4. Infected region has a palpable heat.
5. Depending on the region and level of involvement, loss of function of the
bodily part affected.

Signs of systematic infection:

1. If you have a high fever, your pulse and breathing rate will increase.
2. Irritability and exhaustion
3. Anorexia, as well as nausea and vomiting in some cases
4. Tenderness and enlargement of lymph nodes draining the infection

Factors Affecting the Microbe's Ability to Cause Infection:

1. The total number of microorganisms found

 2. The bacteria' virulence and potency (pathogenicity)
3. Possibility of entering the body
4. The host's susceptibility Ability to live in the host's body

Infection is fought through anatomical and physiological barriers.

1. Skin and mucous membranes that are still in good condition

2. Mucous membranes and cilia in nasal passages that are moist
3. macrophages in the lungs
4. Tears
5. Resident flora of the large intestine High stomach acidity
6. Peristalsis
7. Vaginal pH is low.
8. The urethra is a tube that allows urine to pass through it.

NANDA diagnosis:

 Infection Possibility
 A state in which a person is more likely to be infected by harmful
microbes.
 Factors that increase the risk
 Primary defenses are insufficient.
 Secondary defenses that aren't up to par

Diagnoses that are related

1. Infection's Potential Complications: Fever

2. Imbalanced Nutrition: Not Enough to Meet Body Needs
3. Acute Pain Causes Social Isolation or Impairs Social Interaction
4. Anxiety

Interventions to Lower Infection Risk

1. Hand hygiene practices that are effective

 2. Controls on the environment
3. When a sterile procedure is required, it should be used.
4. Clients at risk are identified and managed.

The Infection Chain:

1. The ingredients that must be present for a microbe to produce infection are
referred to as the infection chain.
2. The basic premise of infection is to break this cycle so that a client does
not become infected by a bacterium.
3. Infectious agent or pathogen is a term used to describe microorganisms that
can cause illnesses.
4. Modes of transmission: The microorganism need a mode of transmission
to move from one site to another, which is referred to as direct and indirect
transmission
5. Susceptible host refers to a person or animal who lacks sufficient resistance
to a pathogen to prevent disease or infection when exposed to the pathogen;
in humans, this can happen if the person's resistance is low due to poor
nutrition, lack of exercise, or a coexisting illness that weakens the host.
6. The mechanism by which a pathogen enters a host: the portal of entrance
might be the same as the portal of exit (gastrointestinal, respiratory,
genitourinary tract).
7. Reservoir: the environment in which a microorganism lives in order to
ensure survival; it can be a person, animal, arthropod, plant, oil, or a
combination of these things; reservoirs that support pathogenic organisms
in humans include inanimate objects such as food and water, as well as
other humans.
8. The way through which the pathogen escapes from the reservoir and can
cause disease; each species of microbe typically has a common escape
 route; on humans, frequent escape routes include the gastrointestinal,
respiratory, and genitourinary tracts.

Breaking the Infection Chain

 Etiologic agent
 Cleaning, disinfecting, or sterilizing goods correctly before usage
 Educating customers and support personnel on proper article cleaning,
disinfection, and sterilization techniques

Reservoir (source)

1. When dressings and bandages get filthy or damp, they must be changed.
2. Skin and oral hygiene that is appropriate
3. Disposing of soiled, moist linens in a proper manner
4. Feces and urine should be disposed of in proper containers.
5. Ensure that all fluid containers are capped or covered.
6. Suction and drainage bottles must be emptied at the conclusion of each
shift, before they are full, or according to agency regulation

The exit portal

1. Talking, coughing, or sneezing over open wounds or sterile fields should

be avoided.
2. When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose.