Chapter 13: Surgical Technology for the Surgical Technologist SURG
296A American Career College-Los Angeles | UPDATED Questions with
100% Verified Answers
Question:
loss of specimen
Answer:
can have devastating effects for the patient; it could necessitate a second procedure to
be performed to obtain another specimen and delay postoperative treatment; if all the
tissue was removed and subsequently lost, a definitive plan of treatment may be
impossible
Question:
correct labeling
Answer:
the ST should confirm the identity of the specimen (name) and origin (anatomical site)
with the surgeon, and confirm this information with the circulating nurse as the specimen
is handed of the sterile field
Question:
specimen marking
Answer:
the orientation (original anatomical position) of the specimen in the body is important for
examination of the tissue margins (edges); this may require placement of a suture marker
or painting with specialized tissue dyes, as it would be nearly impossible to determine
which part of the specimen is superior, inferior, medial, or lateral once removed from the
wound
Question:
foreign bodies as evidence
Answer:
care of bullets must prevent alteration of forensic markings; other foreign bodies could
also have legal value and are often turned over to the police as evidence; it is
,recommended that the circulator or person who turns over the foreign body to the law
enforcement officials receive a written receipt or record of who received the specimen
as part of a legal chain of evidence procedure
Question:
other foreign bodies
Answer:
coins swallowed by an infant or extracted teeth may be ordered by the physician to be
given to the family; the order must be documented and a description of the items
removed
Question:
specimen containers
Answer:
containers should be large enough to contain the specimen and, if warranted, tissue
preservative, which might cause fixed tissues to swell; small tissue specimens sent for
frozen section can be passed off on a piece of Telfa gently placed inside a folded towel
and handed off the field to the circulating nurse for transfer to pathology
Question:
calculi (gallstone, kidney stones)
Answer:
must be sent to pathology dry; if a preservative is added, it will dissolve the stone or
permanently alter them
Question:
amputated limbs
Answer:
sent to the pathology department carefully bagged and wrapped for transfer; following
pathology processing, the limb may be sent to a funeral home for storage, as some
cultures or religions believe that when the person dies, the amputated limb must be
buried with the person
, Question:
orthopedic implants or hardware
Answer:
prosthesis and other hardware such a plates and screws used to support a healing bone
fracture should be kept dry and sent to pathology for documentation
Question:
endoscopes
Answer:
can be used preoperatively or intraoperatively to directly visualize internal structures for
diagnostic purposes
Question:
spinal tap (lumbar puncture)
Answer:
involves needle aspiration of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the lumbar area of the spinal
column for analysis; the fluid is normally clear; the physician can make a preliminary
diagnosis by observing if the fluid is bloody or cloudy, but final diagnosis is reserved until
the CSF has undergone laboratory analysis
Question:
centesis
Answer:
placement of a needle into a body cavity for removal of fluid for diagnostic or
therapeutic purposes; also used as a medical terminology suffix in terms of describing
the procedure in anatomical areas from which the fluid is collected
Question:
paracentesis
Answer:
removal of ascites fluid from the peritoneal cavity, which develops as a result of cirrhosis
or cancer of the liver, pancreatitis, or ovarian cancer; these fluid accumulations can be
substantial, resulting in dramatic abdominal distention
296A American Career College-Los Angeles | UPDATED Questions with
100% Verified Answers
Question:
loss of specimen
Answer:
can have devastating effects for the patient; it could necessitate a second procedure to
be performed to obtain another specimen and delay postoperative treatment; if all the
tissue was removed and subsequently lost, a definitive plan of treatment may be
impossible
Question:
correct labeling
Answer:
the ST should confirm the identity of the specimen (name) and origin (anatomical site)
with the surgeon, and confirm this information with the circulating nurse as the specimen
is handed of the sterile field
Question:
specimen marking
Answer:
the orientation (original anatomical position) of the specimen in the body is important for
examination of the tissue margins (edges); this may require placement of a suture marker
or painting with specialized tissue dyes, as it would be nearly impossible to determine
which part of the specimen is superior, inferior, medial, or lateral once removed from the
wound
Question:
foreign bodies as evidence
Answer:
care of bullets must prevent alteration of forensic markings; other foreign bodies could
also have legal value and are often turned over to the police as evidence; it is
,recommended that the circulator or person who turns over the foreign body to the law
enforcement officials receive a written receipt or record of who received the specimen
as part of a legal chain of evidence procedure
Question:
other foreign bodies
Answer:
coins swallowed by an infant or extracted teeth may be ordered by the physician to be
given to the family; the order must be documented and a description of the items
removed
Question:
specimen containers
Answer:
containers should be large enough to contain the specimen and, if warranted, tissue
preservative, which might cause fixed tissues to swell; small tissue specimens sent for
frozen section can be passed off on a piece of Telfa gently placed inside a folded towel
and handed off the field to the circulating nurse for transfer to pathology
Question:
calculi (gallstone, kidney stones)
Answer:
must be sent to pathology dry; if a preservative is added, it will dissolve the stone or
permanently alter them
Question:
amputated limbs
Answer:
sent to the pathology department carefully bagged and wrapped for transfer; following
pathology processing, the limb may be sent to a funeral home for storage, as some
cultures or religions believe that when the person dies, the amputated limb must be
buried with the person
, Question:
orthopedic implants or hardware
Answer:
prosthesis and other hardware such a plates and screws used to support a healing bone
fracture should be kept dry and sent to pathology for documentation
Question:
endoscopes
Answer:
can be used preoperatively or intraoperatively to directly visualize internal structures for
diagnostic purposes
Question:
spinal tap (lumbar puncture)
Answer:
involves needle aspiration of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the lumbar area of the spinal
column for analysis; the fluid is normally clear; the physician can make a preliminary
diagnosis by observing if the fluid is bloody or cloudy, but final diagnosis is reserved until
the CSF has undergone laboratory analysis
Question:
centesis
Answer:
placement of a needle into a body cavity for removal of fluid for diagnostic or
therapeutic purposes; also used as a medical terminology suffix in terms of describing
the procedure in anatomical areas from which the fluid is collected
Question:
paracentesis
Answer:
removal of ascites fluid from the peritoneal cavity, which develops as a result of cirrhosis
or cancer of the liver, pancreatitis, or ovarian cancer; these fluid accumulations can be
substantial, resulting in dramatic abdominal distention
