🦠 Colonization vs. Infection

🧠 Quick Tip:

“Colonization = germs living there 🏠 — no problem yet.”

“Infection = germs attacking ⚔️ — body fights back.”

🦠 Chain of Infection (Must Know!)

1. Infectious Agent
2. Reservoir
3. Portal of Exit
4. Mode of Transmission
5. Portal of Entry
6. Susceptible Host

🧠 Breaking any link prevents infection.

🦠 Types of exudate (Must Know!)

• Serous: Clear, thin, and watery fluid that is typically seen in the early stages of healing.
• Sanguineous: Bright red fluid that is mainly composed of blood.
• Serosanguineous: Pink or reddish fluid that contains a small amount of blood.
• Purulent: Formation of Pus. Thick, yellow, green, or white fluid that contains pus, which is a mixture of dead white blood cells, bacteria, and debris.
• Mixed: A combination of different types of exudate.

🩸 Modes of Transmission

🧍 Inflammation & Defense

• Signs: redness, heat, swelling, pain, loss of function.
• Learn Table 28.2 (body defenses).
• Stages of infection:
1. Incubation – pathogen enters, no symptoms.
2. Prodromal – mild, vague symptoms. nonspecific signs and symptoms and patient may be capable of spreading disease to others
3. Illness – severe symptoms. signs and symptoms specific to type of infection
4. Convalescence – recovery phase.

🏥 Health-Care–Associated Infections (HAIs)

• Caused by poor asepsis or cross-contamination.
• Nosocomial diseases = healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)
• High-risk patients: elderly, malnourished, immunocompromised, post-surgery.
• Common sources: catheters, suction, BP cuffs, uncleaned equipment.
• Always use dedicated equipment for isolation patients.

🏥 Health Care–Associated Infections (HAIs)

🧠 Prevention: Hand hygiene, aseptic technique, clean or single-patient equipment.

💊 Antibiotics

• Overuse can weaken immune defenses or cause resistance.
• Monitor for superinfection (e.g., yeast infection after antibiotics).

🩹 Asepsis & Cleaning

• Medical asepsis: “clean technique.”
• Surgical asepsis: “sterile technique.” Used for invasive procedures and open wounds.
• Pouring liquids: Avoid splashing; keep sterile field dry.
• Clean from clean → dirty areas.
• Use PPE appropriate to the situation.
• Disinfect with bleach, alcohol wipes, or CaviWipes.

😷 Cough Etiquette

• Cover mouth/nose with tissue or elbow when coughing.
• Dispose of tissue and perform hand hygiene immediately.
• Wear a mask if coughing near others.
• Keep 3 feet (1 meter) distance from others if symptomatic.

🧍‍♀️ Patient Communication & Education

• Introduce yourself when wearing a mask (patients can’t see your face).
• Teach patients about handwashing, vaccination, and infection prevention.
• Include travel history in assessment for infectious diseases.

📋 Nursing Process for Infection

• Diagnosis examples:
• Risk for Infection
• Impaired Tissue Integrity
• Social Isolation
• Goals (SMART): control infection spread, reduce symptoms, verbalize prevention methods.
• Team approach: nurses, providers, infection control, and patient/family.

🧫 Infection Control & Surgical Asepsis — Study Guide

🦠 Communicable Diseases

• Communicable disease: Infection transmitted from one person to another.
• Symptomatic: Clinical signs and symptoms are present.
• Asymptomatic: No signs or symptoms, but infection can still spread.

🧠 Example: COVID-19 and hepatitis B can both be asymptomatic yet contagious.

🧍 Body’s Cellular Response to Infection or Injury

1. Vascular & Cellular Response: Blood vessels dilate → ↑ blood flow → redness, heat, swelling.
2. Inflammatory Exudate: Fluid, pus, or drainage containing WBCs and debris collects at injury site.
3. Tissue Repair: Damaged tissue replaced with new cells (regeneration or scar formation).

🧠 Goal: Contain infection and promote healing.

🩺 Nursing Diagnoses Related to Infection

• Risk for Infection
• Imbalanced Nutrition: Less Than Body Requirements
• Impaired Oral Mucous Membrane
• Risk for Impaired Skin Integrity
• Social Isolation
• Impaired Tissue Integrity
• Readiness for Enhanced Immunization Status

🧠 Plan goals that reduce exposure, control infection spread, and support immune function.

🧴 Disinfection vs. Sterilization

🧠 Always sterilize instruments that enter sterile body areas.

🩹 Surgical Asepsis (Sterile Technique)

Purpose

• Prevents contamination of open wounds.
• Isolates the operative area from unsterile environments.
• Maintains a sterile field for invasive procedures.

🧠 Used in: surgery, catheter insertion, sterile dressing changes, suctioning lower airway.

🧾 Sterile Field

• A clean, prepared area free of microorganisms to receive sterile items.

⚖️ Principles of Surgical Asepsis

1. A sterile object remains sterile only when touched by another sterile object.
2. Only sterile items go on a sterile field.
3. Anything below waist level or out of sight is contaminated.
4. Prolonged air exposure contaminates a sterile field.
5. Moisture contaminates by capillary action (keep surfaces dry).
6. Fluids flow downward — hold hands above elbows when scrubbing.
7. Edges (1 inch) of a sterile field are considered contaminated.

🧠 Tip: If in doubt, consider it contaminated and replace it.