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42 multiple-choice questions and 11 flashcards on Preoperative Patient Care, about 25% of the Surgical Tech bank. Every one carries a written rationale.
Preoperative Patient Care is one of 4 chapters in CoStudy's Surgical Tech (CST/NBSTSA) bank, and it holds 42 of the bank's 166 multiple-choice questions — roughly 25% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.
Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.
10 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.
Which task is OUTSIDE the CST's scope and belongs to the RN circulator?
Answer: C — Verifying consent and administering IV antibiotics
Consent verification and IV med administration are nursing functions. The CST participates in counts and sets up the field.
Before draping, skin prep with a chlorhexidine-alcohol solution must:
Answer: A — Be allowed to dry completely (typically 3 minutes) before drapes are applied or ESU is used
Alcohol-based preps are flammable — they must dry fully before drapes or ESU activation to prevent surgical fires.
Sequential compression devices (SCDs) and/or TED hose are applied to:
Answer: C — Provide VTE (DVT) prophylaxis by promoting venous return
SCDs/TEDs reduce venous stasis and lower DVT risk during prolonged procedures.
A 'surgical conscience' refers to:
Answer: B — Holding oneself accountable to the highest standards of asepsis even when no one is watching
Surgical conscience means self-policing aseptic technique with personal integrity, not external observation.
When gowning the surgeon, the CST hands the gown so that:
Answer: A — The inside of the gown faces the surgeon, supported by a cuffed hand under the shoulder area
Assisted gowning: the CST protects gloved hands under the gown shoulder area and presents the inside toward the surgeon.
During patient transfer from stretcher to OR table, the CST's primary responsibility is to:
Answer: B — Protect the sterile field if set up, and otherwise assist with safe transfer per facility policy
If the sterile field is set up the CST guards it; transfer logistics are coordinated with the team per policy.
Once a sterile drape is placed, it should:
Answer: B — Not be moved from sterile to non-sterile and back
A drape that has crossed from sterile to non-sterile is contaminated — sterile to sterile only.
Position with legs in stirrups is:
Answer: B — Lithotomy
A/C/D) Other positions. B) Correct — used for GU, GYN, colorectal.
Time-out is performed:
Answer: B — Before incision, with the whole team
A/C/D) Wrong. B) Correct — Joint Commission mandate.
Sterile saline being delivered to the field should be poured:
Answer: C — Into a basin held at the edge of the sterile field by the CST, with the circulator not contaminating the field
The circulator pours into a basin near the field edge; the bottle never contacts the sterile basin and the circulator does not lean over.
4 cards from the 11 in this chapter.
Surgical attire?
Scrub top + pants, head cover, shoe covers, mask. Mask covers nose + mouth. Hair fully contained. No jewelry. No artificial nails. Eye protection.
Informed consent?
Patient must understand procedure, risks, benefits, alternatives + sign voluntarily. CST verifies consent in chart before time-out. Cannot be obtained from medicated patient.
Universal Protocol (Joint Commission)?
(1) Pre-procedure verification. (2) Site marking by surgeon. (3) Time-out before procedure. Prevents wrong-patient, wrong-site, wrong-procedure errors.
Why is an axillary roll used in the lateral decubitus position, and what does it protect?
An axillary roll placed just below (not directly under) the dependent axilla relieves pressure on the brachial plexus and axillary vessels from the weight of the thorax, helping prevent brachial plexus injury and vascular compromise during lateral positioning.
These are a sample. The full Preoperative Patient Care chapter runs 53 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
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