Term | Definition |
antiseptic | a substance that kills producing microorganisms but not their spores. An antiseptic is usually applied to living tissue. |
Autoclave | An apparatus for the sterilization of materials, using steam under pressure. |
Contaminate | To soil, strain, or pollute; to make impure. |
Critical item | An item that comes in contact with sterile tissue or the vascular system. |
Decontamination | The use of physical or chemical means to remove or destroy pathogens on an item so that it is no longer capable of transmitting disease; this makes the item safe to handle |
Detergent | an agent that cleanses by emulsifying dirt and oil |
Disinfectant | An agent used to destroy pathogenic microorganisms but not their spores. Disinfectants are usually applied to inanimate objects. |
Hazardous chemical | Any chemical that presents a threat to the health and safety an individual coming into contact with it |
Incubate | To provide proper conditions for growth and development |
Load | The articles that are being sterilized |
Material safety data sheet (MSDS) | A sheet that provides information regarding a chemical, its hazards, and measures to take to prevent injury illness when handling the chemical |
Noncritical item | An item that comes into contact with intact skin, but not with mucous membranes. |
Sanitization | A process to remove organic matter from an article and to reduce the number of microorganisms to a safe level as determined by public health requirements. |
Semicritical item | An item that comes into contact with nonitact skin or intact mucous membranes. |
Spore | A hard, thick-walled capsule formed by some bacteria that contains only the essential parts of the proto plasma of the bacterial cell |
Sterilization | The process of destroying all forms of micro bile life, including bacterial cell |
Thermolabile | Easily affected or changed by heat |