CST PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS.
According,to,the,Association,of,Surgical,Technologists,,when,should,the,process,of,cleaning,instruments,b
egin?,,,ANS,-During,the,surgical,procedure,-
,Cleaning,of,contaminated,instruments,should,begin,during,the,surgical,procedure.,Instruments,should,be
,wiped,free,of,blood,and,tissue,debris,after,they,are,used.,This,can,be,done,with,a,moistened,sponge,,bein
g,sure,to,keep,the,sponge,away,from,the,surgical,site,so,that,it,does,not,potentially,contaminate,tissues.,T
his,cleaning,process,prevents,blood,and,other,debris,from,drying,or,crusting,onto,the,instruments.
According,to,the,Federal,Food,,Drug,,and,Cosmetic,Act,,which,of,the,following,is,the,primary,purpose,and,
function,of,packaging,material?,,,ANS,-To,ensure,sterility,until,the,instrument,is,used
Which,of,the,following,refers,to,the,small,,bony,projections,between,the,transverse,spinous,processes,an
d,the,vertebral,bodies?,,,ANS,-Pedicles,-
,The,small,projections,of,bone,that,are,present,between,the,transverse,spinous,processes,and,the,vertebr
al,bodies,are,referred,to,as,pedicles.,Pedicles,help,form,the,neural,arch,through,which,the,spinal,nerve,ro
ots,pass.,Pedicles,also,serve,as,very,important,positional,markers,for,lumbar,spine,procedures.
What,is,the,primary,benefit,of,utilizing,a,harmonic,scalpel,in,surgery?,,,ANS,-
It,can,simultaneously,cut,and,coagulate,tissue,-
,The,harmonic,scalpel,is,an,ultrasonic,instrument,that,produces,sound,waves,(vibration),at,a,level,suitable,
for,cutting,and,coagulating,tissue.,The,main,benefit,for,using,a,harmonic,scalpel,is,that,it,can,simultaneou
sly,cut,and,coagulate,tissue.,The,harmonic,scalpel,is,often,used,in,open,procedures,,such,as,thyroidectom
y,,hemorrhoidectomy,,and,mastectomy.,The,vibration,does,not,necessarily,enhance,precision,of,the,incisi
on,,nor,does,it,create,heat.,There,are,no,laparoscopic,elements,integrated,into,a,harmonic,scalpel.
Which,of,the,following,is,NOT,a,performance,standard,that,must,be,met,by,packaging,material?,,,ANS,-
Packaging,material,must,be,water,,steam,,and,heat,resistant,-
,Packaging,materials,do,not,have,to,be,water,,steam,,and,heat,resistant.,Packaging,materials,must,keep,th
e,item,sterile,until,used.,They,must,be,constructed,so,the,instrument,can,be,removed,without,risk,of,cont
amination,and,must,allow,the,sterilizing,agent,to,penetrate,the,fabric.
How,does,an,autoclave,work,to,sterilize,instruments?,,,ANS,-
It,exposes,instruments,to,pressurized,,high,temperature,steam,-
,An,autoclave,sterilizes,instruments,using,high,temperature,steam,,usually,around,270-
degrees,F,,at,a,high,pressure.,The,instruments,are,exposed,to,this,for,approximately,20,minutes,to,thorou
, ghly,sterilize,the,items.,Pressurized,steam,can,reach,high,temperatures,than,hot,water,and,is,more,effecti
ve,at,removing,germs,and,debris,than,regular,hot,water.
Which,type,of,biopsy,requires,the,entire,lesion,to,be,removed,to,test,for,clean,tissue,margins,after,remov
al?,,,ANS,-Excision,biopsy,-
,An,excision,biopsy,requires,the,entire,lesion,be,removed,in,order,to,test,for,clean,tissue,margins,after,the
,surgical,procedure.,An,incision,biopsy,requires,cutting,into,the,lesion,or,tissue,to,be,examined,and,remov
ing,a,portion,of,the,lesion,or,tissue,to,be,sent,for,further,evaluation.
Which,abdominal,muscle,is,cut,with,a,vertical,surgical,incision?,,,ANS,-
Usually,,no,abdominal,muscles,are,cut,with,a,vertical,surgical,incision,-
,Abdominal,surgery,with,a,vertical,incision,approach,does,not,usually,involve,severing,any,abdominal,mus
cles.,The,abdominis,rectus,muscles,are,over,most,of,the,abdomen,,but,the,muscle,fibers,run,vertically.,Th
en,the,initial,incision,is,made,through,the,subcutaneous,tissues,,the,muscle,fibers,can,then,be,separated,i
nstead,of,cut,to,access,the,abdominal,cavity.,This,can,help,with,healing,and,rehabilitation.,There,is,an,incr
eased,risk,of,developing,a,ventral,incisional,hernia,following,abdominal,surgery.
Which,of,the,following,two,individuals,are,responsible,for,the,surgical,count?,,,ANS,-
Surgical,technologist,and,circulator,-
,The,surgical,technologist,and,the,circulator,are,responsible,for,the,surgical,count.,The,surgical,count,begi
ns,when,the,technologist,informs,the,circulator,what,items,are,to,be,counted.,The,surgical,technologist,ve
rifies,that,the,circulator,can,see,the,items,to,be,counted.,The,count,is,done,together,and,verbally,by,both,t
he,surgical,technologist,and,the,circulator.
Which,of,the,following,is,accepted,as,the,standard,mode,of,sterilization,for,items,that,are,not,heat,,moist
ure,,or,temperature,sensitive?,,,ANS,-Steam,sterilization,-
,Steam,sterilization,is,widely,accepted,as,the,standard,mode,of,sterilization,for,all,items,that,are,not,heat,,
moisture,,or,temperature,sensitive.,Steam,sterilization,is,the,most,dependable,method,for,the,destructio
n,of,all,microbes,and,their,spores.,Steam,sterilization,employs,the,use,of,moist,heat,delivered,in,the,form,
a,saturated,steam,under,significant,pressure,in,a,closed,environment.
Which,of,the,following,specimen,types,is,sent,without,any,preservatives?,,,ANS,-Fresh,sample,-
,A,fresh,sample,is,the,type,of,specimen,that,should,be,sent,to,the,pathology,department,without,the,pres
ence,of,any,preservatives.,Fresh,specimens,occasionally,can,be,sent,in,saline,solution,at,the,discretion,of,t
he,surgeon,,pathologist,,or,both.,Depending,on,the,nature,of,the,specimen,,fresh,samples,are,normally,se
nt,to,pathology,in,metal,basins,,sterile,towels,,or,specimen,containers.
ANSWERS.
According,to,the,Association,of,Surgical,Technologists,,when,should,the,process,of,cleaning,instruments,b
egin?,,,ANS,-During,the,surgical,procedure,-
,Cleaning,of,contaminated,instruments,should,begin,during,the,surgical,procedure.,Instruments,should,be
,wiped,free,of,blood,and,tissue,debris,after,they,are,used.,This,can,be,done,with,a,moistened,sponge,,bein
g,sure,to,keep,the,sponge,away,from,the,surgical,site,so,that,it,does,not,potentially,contaminate,tissues.,T
his,cleaning,process,prevents,blood,and,other,debris,from,drying,or,crusting,onto,the,instruments.
According,to,the,Federal,Food,,Drug,,and,Cosmetic,Act,,which,of,the,following,is,the,primary,purpose,and,
function,of,packaging,material?,,,ANS,-To,ensure,sterility,until,the,instrument,is,used
Which,of,the,following,refers,to,the,small,,bony,projections,between,the,transverse,spinous,processes,an
d,the,vertebral,bodies?,,,ANS,-Pedicles,-
,The,small,projections,of,bone,that,are,present,between,the,transverse,spinous,processes,and,the,vertebr
al,bodies,are,referred,to,as,pedicles.,Pedicles,help,form,the,neural,arch,through,which,the,spinal,nerve,ro
ots,pass.,Pedicles,also,serve,as,very,important,positional,markers,for,lumbar,spine,procedures.
What,is,the,primary,benefit,of,utilizing,a,harmonic,scalpel,in,surgery?,,,ANS,-
It,can,simultaneously,cut,and,coagulate,tissue,-
,The,harmonic,scalpel,is,an,ultrasonic,instrument,that,produces,sound,waves,(vibration),at,a,level,suitable,
for,cutting,and,coagulating,tissue.,The,main,benefit,for,using,a,harmonic,scalpel,is,that,it,can,simultaneou
sly,cut,and,coagulate,tissue.,The,harmonic,scalpel,is,often,used,in,open,procedures,,such,as,thyroidectom
y,,hemorrhoidectomy,,and,mastectomy.,The,vibration,does,not,necessarily,enhance,precision,of,the,incisi
on,,nor,does,it,create,heat.,There,are,no,laparoscopic,elements,integrated,into,a,harmonic,scalpel.
Which,of,the,following,is,NOT,a,performance,standard,that,must,be,met,by,packaging,material?,,,ANS,-
Packaging,material,must,be,water,,steam,,and,heat,resistant,-
,Packaging,materials,do,not,have,to,be,water,,steam,,and,heat,resistant.,Packaging,materials,must,keep,th
e,item,sterile,until,used.,They,must,be,constructed,so,the,instrument,can,be,removed,without,risk,of,cont
amination,and,must,allow,the,sterilizing,agent,to,penetrate,the,fabric.
How,does,an,autoclave,work,to,sterilize,instruments?,,,ANS,-
It,exposes,instruments,to,pressurized,,high,temperature,steam,-
,An,autoclave,sterilizes,instruments,using,high,temperature,steam,,usually,around,270-
degrees,F,,at,a,high,pressure.,The,instruments,are,exposed,to,this,for,approximately,20,minutes,to,thorou
, ghly,sterilize,the,items.,Pressurized,steam,can,reach,high,temperatures,than,hot,water,and,is,more,effecti
ve,at,removing,germs,and,debris,than,regular,hot,water.
Which,type,of,biopsy,requires,the,entire,lesion,to,be,removed,to,test,for,clean,tissue,margins,after,remov
al?,,,ANS,-Excision,biopsy,-
,An,excision,biopsy,requires,the,entire,lesion,be,removed,in,order,to,test,for,clean,tissue,margins,after,the
,surgical,procedure.,An,incision,biopsy,requires,cutting,into,the,lesion,or,tissue,to,be,examined,and,remov
ing,a,portion,of,the,lesion,or,tissue,to,be,sent,for,further,evaluation.
Which,abdominal,muscle,is,cut,with,a,vertical,surgical,incision?,,,ANS,-
Usually,,no,abdominal,muscles,are,cut,with,a,vertical,surgical,incision,-
,Abdominal,surgery,with,a,vertical,incision,approach,does,not,usually,involve,severing,any,abdominal,mus
cles.,The,abdominis,rectus,muscles,are,over,most,of,the,abdomen,,but,the,muscle,fibers,run,vertically.,Th
en,the,initial,incision,is,made,through,the,subcutaneous,tissues,,the,muscle,fibers,can,then,be,separated,i
nstead,of,cut,to,access,the,abdominal,cavity.,This,can,help,with,healing,and,rehabilitation.,There,is,an,incr
eased,risk,of,developing,a,ventral,incisional,hernia,following,abdominal,surgery.
Which,of,the,following,two,individuals,are,responsible,for,the,surgical,count?,,,ANS,-
Surgical,technologist,and,circulator,-
,The,surgical,technologist,and,the,circulator,are,responsible,for,the,surgical,count.,The,surgical,count,begi
ns,when,the,technologist,informs,the,circulator,what,items,are,to,be,counted.,The,surgical,technologist,ve
rifies,that,the,circulator,can,see,the,items,to,be,counted.,The,count,is,done,together,and,verbally,by,both,t
he,surgical,technologist,and,the,circulator.
Which,of,the,following,is,accepted,as,the,standard,mode,of,sterilization,for,items,that,are,not,heat,,moist
ure,,or,temperature,sensitive?,,,ANS,-Steam,sterilization,-
,Steam,sterilization,is,widely,accepted,as,the,standard,mode,of,sterilization,for,all,items,that,are,not,heat,,
moisture,,or,temperature,sensitive.,Steam,sterilization,is,the,most,dependable,method,for,the,destructio
n,of,all,microbes,and,their,spores.,Steam,sterilization,employs,the,use,of,moist,heat,delivered,in,the,form,
a,saturated,steam,under,significant,pressure,in,a,closed,environment.
Which,of,the,following,specimen,types,is,sent,without,any,preservatives?,,,ANS,-Fresh,sample,-
,A,fresh,sample,is,the,type,of,specimen,that,should,be,sent,to,the,pathology,department,without,the,pres
ence,of,any,preservatives.,Fresh,specimens,occasionally,can,be,sent,in,saline,solution,at,the,discretion,of,t
he,surgeon,,pathologist,,or,both.,Depending,on,the,nature,of,the,specimen,,fresh,samples,are,normally,se
nt,to,pathology,in,metal,basins,,sterile,towels,,or,specimen,containers.
