Final answer:
The exemption to site marking in the provided options is a 60-year-old scheduled for a screening colonoscopy because this procedure does not target a specific external body site for marking.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked which scenario is an exemption to site marking prior to surgery. Site marking is a safety protocol used to verify that the correct site of the body is being operated on. The offered choices are:
- a 52-year-old male scheduled for a splenectomy
- a 60-year-old scheduled for a screening colonoscopy
- a 2-year-old scheduled for a right nephrectomy
- a 15-year-old lacrosse player scheduled for an open right elbow fracture repair
The only option that is an exemption to site marking is a screening colonoscopy, as this procedure does not require a specific external body site to be marked. The colonoscope is inserted into the rectum and navigated throughout the colon, so external body site marking is not applicable.