WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Nursing

ASEPSIS
 SURGICAL
ASEPSIS
Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER
Surgical Technique | Asepsis
• Sterile technique (surgical asepsis) involves interventions that
prevent the introduction of microorganisms into an area (e.g., sterile
field) or body part (e.g., skin).
• The situations in which a nurse must use sterile technique are
numerous. Regardless of the sterile procedure being performed,
certain principles should be employed to maintain sterility.
• This section discusses these issues and relates nursing care
associated with each principle.

Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER

Surgical Technique | Intro

1. Sterile means absence of micro-organisms.

Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER
Surgical Technique | Intro

2. Sterilization is a process that

destroys microorganisms
(e.g., moist heat, gas, boiling
water, and radiation).

Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER

Surgical Technique | Intro
3. Human skin harbors many
micro-organisms, is not
sterile, and cannot be
sterilized; however,
techniques can be used to
limit the number of
microorganisms, such as the
use of hand washing, alcohol-
based antimicrobial gels, and
surgical scrubs.
Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER
Surgical Technique | Intro

4. Sterile technique involves

using practices to prevent the
introduction of microorganisms
into an area.

Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER

Surgical Technique | Intro
5. Sterile technique is used in a variety of instances,
including:
A. When intentionally piercing a C. When inserting catheters into
patient’s skin, such as inserting an body cavities, such as a urinary
intravenous catheter into a vein or catheter or tracheobronchial
creating a surgical incision. suctioning.
D. When providing care in specialty
B. When a patient’s skin or environments, such as a birthing
room, an operating room, and
membranes are breached or not
certain diagnostic procedure rooms,
intact, such as with burns, wounds,
such as cardiac catheterization
postoperative incisions, and laboratories.
childbirth.
Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER
 Surgical Technique | Principles of Surgical Asepsis
Table 12.3 Principles of Surgical Asepsis and Related Nursing Care

Principle
• All objects placed on a sterile field must Nursing Care
• Keep sterile objects in a clean, dry storage area.
be • Check sterile packages for intactness, dryness, and expiration dates and discard
torn, wet. or outdated packages.
sterile and be kept sterile. • Check sterile packages for indication of sterilization (e.g., the word "STERILE“
is on a closure tape that changes color when sterilized).
• Place sterile objects inside a 1-inch margin of all edges of a drape because this area is
considered sterile; the 1-inch border around the entire edge of the drape is considered
unsterile.
• The flat surface of a sterile field is considered sterile; draping material falling over the
side of the surface is considered unsterile.

• Sterile objects remain sterile when • Manipulate objects on a sterile filed with sterile forceps or hands
wearing sterile gloves.
touched • Touch only sterile equipment with sterile gloved hands.
• Change sterile gloves if they become contaminated
by something sterile. • Discard sterile objects that come in contact with unsterile, clean, or
contaminated objects; discard object when sterility is questionable.
• Refrain from reaching over a sterile field with ungloved hands or moving
• Sterile objects become unsterile when unsterile
touched by unsterile, clean, or objects over a sterile field
• Keep the lip of a bottle of liquid several inches above a sterile receptacle
contaminated when
pouring sterile liquid because the edge of the bottle is considered unsterile.
objects or fluid. • Use a moisture-proof barrier between the table and sterile objects.
Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER
Surgical Technique | Principles of Surgical Asepsis
• Discard a sterile field that is pervious to liquid if it becomes wet by fluid
from
under or on the sterile field because capillary action will draw
microorganisms
onto the field
• Hold wet swabs with forceps held downward to keep fluid from flowing up
toward
the hands and becoming contaminated
• Hold hands above the elbows during a surgical hand scrub to prevent
• Limit air currents
contaminated in the
fluid room
from by closing
flowing thehands.
onto the door, closing the bed curtain,

• Sterile objects become and

• Wear surgical caps in operating rooms and birthing and burn units.
limiting unnecessary movement of people in the room.
• Prepare the sterile field immediately before use.
contaminated by exposure to • Limit talking over the sterile field, and avoid laughing, sneezing, or
coughing in
air
• Sterile objects are considered
the room.
•• Prepare
Avoid walking
and holdbetween a sterileabove
sterile objects field and the patient.
the waist.

unsterile when out of the nurse’s • Keep sterile objects and sterile gloved hands in the line of vision.
the nurse's waist.
• Never leave a sterile field unattended.
sight or below the nurse’s waist

Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc – ILOILO CHAPTER