Certified Medical Assistant (CMA AAMA)Safety and Infection ControlMedium
A medical assistant is instructed to clean a non-critical item, such as a blood pressure cuff, before reuse. Which level of asepsis is generally sufficient for this type of item?
- AHigh-level disinfection
- BLow-level disinfection
- CIntermediate-level disinfection
- DSterilization
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Low-level disinfection
Non-critical items, like blood pressure cuffs, only come into contact with intact skin and require low-level disinfection to kill most vegetative bacteria and some viruses, but not necessarily spores or all fungi.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. High-level disinfection is for semi-critical items that contact mucous membranes or non-intact skin.
- C. Intermediate-level disinfection is for items contaminated with blood or body fluids, but not necessarily spores.
- D. Sterilization is required for critical items that enter sterile tissue or the vascular system.
Asepsis for Non-Critical Items
Non-critical medical items, which only contact intact skin, require low-level disinfection to reduce microbial load.
- Contacts intact skin only.
- Low-level disinfection sufficient.
- Examples: stethoscopes, BP cuffs.
Memory trick: Critical Sterile, Semi-High, Non-Low Level Shy.