Sterile and Aseptic Skills that an Operating Room Technician Needs to Know

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The Sterile Environment

The operating room technician or technologist, depending on degree of education, performs one of the most vital functions in pre-operative and post-operative procedures. It is the job of the operating room technician to prepare the operating room, ensure all the necessary surgical tools and supplies are sterile and ready for use, keep track of all items during surgery to make sure none are misplaced, provide any assistance needed during surgery, deliver the patient to recovery, and clean up the operating room after surgery.

Creating a sterile environment involves practicing a number of safeguards to prevent the introduction of bacteria into the operating room. After disinfecting the room, the technician applies sterile drapes to the furniture, the equipment and the patient, leaving open only the area of the patient for incision purposes. The technician may also be the one responsible for sterilizing and shaving the area of the patient being prepared for surgery.

Inspecting Equipment

The operating room technician checks all sterile equipment to determine if their packaging has been compromised, before setting them in a sterile field. This is done through the inspection of indicator tape and internal chemical indicators. No sterile items should be placed near a non-sterile item. If a sterile package is dropped to the floor, air can escape, compromising its integrity and can no longer be considered a sterile package.

Sterile and Non-Sterile Scrubs

Within the operating room, all team members must wear scrubs. The sterile members of the team are the surgeon and certified surgical technologist. In addition to scrubs, these team members also wear a sterile gown, mask and sterile gloves. The gown is to be dropped over the head and allowed to roll down. The gowns are considered sterile only to the waist and two inches above the elbow. When wearing a sterile gown, the operating room technician must keep hands above the waist and away from the face. If a sterile item drops below the waist, it must be discarded.

Sterile and non-sterile members must avoid close proximity with each other. They must pass either facing each other, or back to back. Non-sterile contact with a sterile member compromises the aseptic qualities of the sterile member’s environment.

Operating Room Behavior

The operating room requires a minimum of movement and sound. All members of the team should remain as stationary as possible. A seated team member must remain seated and a standing member must remain standing. All team members must remain within the confines of the operating room. Non-sterile members may not pass their hands over sterile equipment and should remain at least twelve inches back from the sterile field. Sterile members must remain only within the sterile fields.

During the surgical procedure, the operating room technologist keeps track of all surgical items used, including supplies, instruments, and tools to make sure none were misplaced. After the operation, it is the technologist who wheels the patient into recovery.

It is the goal of the operating room technologist to minimize the chances of invasive bacteria or micro-organisms as greatly as possible. The technologist not only works in maintaining a sterile environment for operating procedures, but also is responsible for many aspects of the patient’s care and is the closest sterile assistant to the surgeon.