[also, supraspinal ligament] The ligament that connects the apices of vertebral spinous processes from the seventh cervical vertebra to the sacrum between consecutive spinous processes, it is continuous with the interspinous ligaments.
Letter: s
An agent which reduces surface tension and allows solutions to better penetrate soils; an agent such as soap or detergent, dissolved in water to reduce its surface tension or the tension at the interface between the water and another liquid.
Sterile technique; practice that keeps an object or an area completely free of microorganisms and spores.
Surgical Care Improvement Project – sponsored by CMS publishes initiatives demonstrated to be best practices for optimal patient safety and outcome. Failure to implement the initiatives can result in reduced or non-reimbursement.
The honesty and moral integrity that the surgical technologist must possess in order to practice strict aseptic technique and not hesitate to admit a break in technique and take corrective actions to prevent the patient from acquiring a surgical wound infection. Taught as part of curriculum at schools for nurses, technologists and doctors.
Surgical Infection Society is an international professional organization focused on research, education, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of surgical infections.
According the Halyard: A surgical mask is a mask with ties to secure it to the face of the wearer. There is no OFFICIAL definition.
An infection that occurs within 30 days after the operation if no implant is left in place or within 1 year if implant is present and the infection appears to be related to the operation.
A classification system which employs descriptive case features to postoperatively grade the degree of intraoperative microbial contamination. Class I/Clean: An uninfected operative wound in which no inflammation is encountered and the respiratory, alimentary, genital, or uninfected urinary tract is not entered. In addition, clean wounds are primarily closed and, if necessary, drained, with closed drainage. Operative incisional wounds that follow nonpenetrating (blunt) trauma should be included in this category if they meet the criteria. Class II/Clean: Contaminated: an operative wound in which the respiratory, alimentary, genital, or urinary tracts are entered under controlled conditions and without unusual contamination. Specifically, operations involving the biliary tract, appendix, vagina, and oropharynx are included in this category, provided no evidence of infection or major break in technique is encountered. Class III/Contaminated: Open, fresh, accidental wounds. In addition, operations with major breaks in sterile technique (e.g., open cardiac massage) or gross spillage from the gastrointestinal tract, and incisions in which acute, nonpurulent inflammation is encountered are included in this category. Class IV/Dirty-Infected: Old traumatic wounds with retained devitalized tissue and those that involve existing clinical infection or perforated viscera. This definition suggests that the organisms causing postoperative infection were present in the operative field before the operation.
A method of disinfecting surfaces in which most bacteria are killed (but not spores).