Concept of Asepsis

Concept of Asepsis: Medical & Surgical Asepsis
MEDICAL & SURGICAL ASEPSIS
• ASEPSIS: Asepsis is the state of being free from disease

causing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses,
pathogenic fungi, and parasites.
• Aseptic technique: It is a standard health care practice that
helps to prevent the transfer of germs to or from an open
wound and other susceptible areas on a patient’s body. A
technique used the practice and procedure to prevent
contamination from pathogens.
Purpose:
• Using aseptic techniques prevents the spread of infection
by harmful germs.
• Disinfecting a patient’s skin using antiseptic wipes.
• Sterilizing equipment and instruments before a procedure.
• Keeping sterilizing instrument inside plastic wrappers to
prevent contamination before use.
Types of Aseptic Technique
There are two types of techniques:

1. Medical asepsis (“clean technique”): practices that
kill some microorganisms to prevent them from
spreading. Medical or clean asepsis reduces the number
of organisms and prevents their spread.
2. Surgical asepsis (“sterile technique”): practices that
completely kill and eliminate microorganisms. surgical
or sterile asepsis includes procedures to eliminate
microorganisms from an area and is practiced by
surgical technologists and nurses.
The transmission of infection depends on six
elements which link together like chains.
The Spread of infection can be described as a

chain with six components.
1. Infection agent (Pathogen)
2. Reservoir (the normal location of pathogens)
3. Portal of exit from the reservoir
4. Mode of transmission
5. Portal of entry into a host
6. Susceptible host
If any link is broken the chain is broken and
infection cannot be transmitted.
1. The Infection Agent
• (Pathogens) include not only bacteria but also viruses,

fungi, and parasites. The virulence of these pathogens
depends on their number, their potency, their ability to
enter and survive in the body, and the susceptibility of
the host.
• For example, the smallpox virus is particularly virulent,
infecting almost all people exposed. In contrast,
tuberculosis bacillus infects only a small number of
people, usually people with weakened immune
function, or those who are undernourished and living
in crowded conditions.
2. The Reservoir
• A reservoir is any person, animal, arthropod, plant, soil

or substance (or combination of these) in which an
infectious agent normally lives and multiplies.
• The infectious agent depends on the reservoir for
survival, where it can reproduce itself in such manner
that it can be transmitted to a susceptible host.
3. The Portal of exist
• A portal of exit is the means by which a pathogen exits from a

reservoir. For a human reservoir, the portal of exit can include
blood, respiratory secretions, and anything exiting from the
gastrointestinal or urinary tracts.
• Route by which the infectious micro-organism escapes or
leaves the reservoir,
• Excretions
• Secretions
• Skin
• Droplet flue cold
• Mucous secretions
4. The Mode of transmission (Spread) route
• People release respiratory fluids during exhalation (e.g., quiet breathing, speaking,
singing, exercise, coughing, sneezing) in the form of droplets across a spectrum of
sizes. These droplets carry viruses and transmit infection. The largest droplets settle
out of the air rapidly, within seconds to minutes.
• The way of the pathogen gets from the reservoir to the new host.
For example: – Route of transmission from respiratory tract (Nose, Mouth)
• Secretion of infected person, Example: – Cough and sneezing.
Droplet transmission
• Agent is coughed or sneezed out into the air and floats on droplets.
Direct spread by droplets
• Close contact with infected person (<3ft)

• Infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, sings,
• Droplets land directly on mucous membranes.
• (Eyes, Nose, Mouth) of susceptible person
5. The Portal of Entry
• Infectious agents get into the body through various portals of entry, including the
mucous membranes, non-intact skin, and the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and
genitourinary tracts.
• Pathogens often enter the body of the host through the same route they exited the
reservoir, e.g., airborne pathogens from one person’s sneeze can enter through the nose
of another person.
The route through which the pathogen enters its new host
• Inhale germs
• Sexual contact
• Breaks in protective skin barrier
• Ingestion
6. The Susceptible host
• The final link in the chain of infection is a susceptible host, someone at risk of infection. Infection does not
occur automatically when the pathogen enters the body of a person whose immune system is functioning
normally. When a virulent pathogen enters an immune-compromised person, however, infection generally
follows
• A person who can get sick when exposed to a disease-causing pathogen.
• Children who are very weak.
• People are on inadequate diets.
• People who are chronically ill
• People who are already ill.
• People who open wounds.
• If the chain is not broken the infectious organism is able to go on to develop disease in another person.
How to break Hand sanitizing
Cough and sneeze
and hand
the chain of hygiene.
etiquette.
infection?
Proper use of
personal Sharp
protective management.
equipment.
Appropriate
disposal of waste
Ways that infection may occur.
• Three things are necessary for an infection to occur:

1. Source: Places where infectious agents (germs) live (e.g., sinks, surfaces, human skin)
2. Susceptible host: Person with a way for germs to enter the body.
3. Transmission: Way germs are moved to the susceptible person. Infectious disease can spread
in a variety of ways.
• Through air, from direct or indirect contact
with another person, Dirty objects, skin or mucous membrane, saliva, urine, blood, and body
secretions and through contamination of food and water.
EXAMPLE OF HOW INFECTION OCCURS
Example of common cold

• Any infection follows the same steps as that of
chain of infection starting from infectious agent to
susceptible host.
• A flu virus deposited into the front of the nasal
passages by contaminated fingers or by droplets
from cough and sneezes.
• Small dose of virus(1-30 particles)are sufficient to
produce infection.
Role of Health care Personnel in infection
control
Introduction to patient safety

• Patient safety is a discipline in the health care sector that
applies safety science methods toward the goal of
achieving a trustworthy system of health care delivery.
• Patient safety is also an attribute of health care system ,it
minimize the incidence and impact of adverse events and
maximizes recovery from health problems.
Health care associated infection (HAI)
According to who:
• HIA is also called nosocomial infection.
HIA is defined as:
• An infection acquired in hospital by a patient who
admitted for a reason other than that infection.
• An infection occurs in a patient in a hospital or other
health care facility in whom the infection was not
present or incubating at the time of admission.
Impacts of Nosocomial infection (HIA)
• Increase patients suffering.

• Lead to permanent disability.
• Lead to death.
• Prolonged hospital stays.
• Increase need of higher level of care.
• Increase the costs to patients and hospitals.
Prevent from infections
Requires health care – Knowledge of – An attitude of

– Skills necessary to
provider who have common infections cooperation and
provide safe care.
to: and their vectors. commitment.
– Knowledge of main
–Knowledge about
–Use universal causes, modes of
the extent of the
precautions. transmission and
problem.
types of infection.
Standard Precautions
Mask, eye Preventing

Gloves, apron/
Hand hygiene protection and or occupation
gown, footwear.
face shield. Exposure.
Accommodation
Blood and body
patient placement Environment Laundry
fluid spillage
isolation.
Clinical waste.
Nursing student needs
• To apply universal precautions.

• To be immunized against diseases
• To Use personal protection method
• To know what to do if expose
• They encourage others to use universal precautions.

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Concept of Asepsis: Medical & Surgical Asepsis

MEDICAL & SURGICAL ASEPSIS

• ASEPSIS: Asepsis is the state of being free from disease

There are two types of techniques:

The Spread of infection can be described as a

• (Pathogens) include not only bacteria but also viruses,

• A reservoir is any person, animal, arthropod, plant, soil

• A portal of exit is the means by which a pathogen exits from a

• Close contact with infected person (<3ft)

• Three things are necessary for an infection to occur:

Example of common cold

Introduction to patient safety

• Increase patients suffering.

Requires health care – Knowledge of – An attitude of

Mask, eye Preventing

• To apply universal precautions.

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