Skip to main content
Ch. 7 - Fundamentals of Microbial Growth
Norman-McKay- Microbiology: Basic and Clinical Principles 2nd Edition
Norman-McKay2nd EditionMicrobiology: Basic and Clinical PrinciplesISBN: 9780137661619Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksNorman-McKay 2nd EditionCh. 7 - Fundamentals of Microbial GrowthProblem 18
Chapter 7, Problem 18

Which of the following is (are) true? Select all that apply.
a. Scalpels are critical equipment.
b. Endoscopes are noncritical equipment.
c. Stethoscopes are noncritical equipment.
d. Anesthesia tubing is semicritical equipment.
e. Critical equipment contacts intact skin.

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Understand the classification of medical equipment based on the Spaulding classification system, which divides equipment into critical, semicritical, and noncritical categories depending on the risk of infection and the type of contact with the patient.
Step 2: Recall that critical equipment are items that enter sterile tissue or the vascular system and must be sterile because they pose a high risk of infection. Examples include scalpels and surgical instruments.
Step 3: Recognize that semicritical equipment contacts mucous membranes or non-intact skin and requires high-level disinfection. Anesthesia tubing is an example of semicritical equipment.
Step 4: Identify noncritical equipment as items that contact intact skin but not mucous membranes or sterile body areas, such as stethoscopes. Endoscopes, however, contact mucous membranes and are therefore semicritical, not noncritical.
Step 5: Evaluate each statement based on these definitions: (a) scalpels are critical, (b) endoscopes are semicritical (not noncritical), (c) stethoscopes are noncritical, (d) anesthesia tubing is semicritical, and (e) critical equipment contacts sterile tissue, not just intact skin.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.
Video duration:
1m
Was this helpful?

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Classification of Medical Equipment by Infection Risk

Medical equipment is classified as critical, semicritical, or noncritical based on the risk of infection transmission. Critical items contact sterile body areas and must be sterile. Semicritical items contact mucous membranes or non-intact skin and require high-level disinfection. Noncritical items contact intact skin and need low-level disinfection or cleaning.
Recommended video:
Guided course
04:52
Overall Risk of Infection

Examples of Equipment in Each Category

Critical equipment includes items like scalpels that penetrate sterile tissue. Semicritical equipment includes devices such as anesthesia tubing that contact mucous membranes. Noncritical equipment includes items like stethoscopes that only touch intact skin, posing the lowest infection risk.
Recommended video:
Guided course
05:48
Categorizing Life Based on Energy Acquisition

Importance of Proper Disinfection and Sterilization

Proper cleaning, disinfection, or sterilization of medical equipment prevents healthcare-associated infections. Critical items require sterilization, semicritical items need high-level disinfection, and noncritical items require low-level disinfection or cleaning. Understanding these protocols ensures patient safety.
Recommended video:
Guided course
01:25
Importance of Microorganisms
Related Practice
Textbook Question

A bacterial specimen exhibits the following growth on blood agar. What can you most reasonably conclude about the bacterium? Select all that apply.

a. It is not S. pyogenes.

b. It is alpha hemolytic.

c. It is beta hemolytic.

d. It is gamma hemolytic.

e. It is Gram-positive.

<Image>

1549
views
Textbook Question

If you were a manufacturer of electronic pacemakers for heart implantation, which agent would you most likely use to treat your product?

a. Ethanol

b. Iodophor

c. Glutaraldehyde

d. Autoclave

e. Ethylene oxide

927
views
Textbook Question

While hiking, Huda wants to ensure that the river water is clean enough to drink and will not cause any intestinal infections. How could she treat water from a stream so that it is safe to drink?

835
views
Textbook Question

You are collecting a sample from a deep wound for analysis by the clinical microbiology lab. Which of the following is not a consideration as you undertake this process?

a. Avoiding the skin as the wound is swabbed

b. Using an anaerobic culture tube

c. Disinfecting the tube before collecting the sample

d. Washing your hands before and after sample collection

e. Using complex media

834
views
Textbook Question

The _____________ is the time needed to kill 90 percent of a given microbial population at a set temperature. The _____________ is the lowest temperature needed to kill all microbes in a sample within 10 minutes.

1219
views