Question

During an excisional biopsy of sentinel nodes, the surgical technologist should prepare specimens using which of the following methods?

A. Place on a RAY-TEC to be handed off to the circulator.
B. Separate on Telfa and pass to the circulator.
C. Place in separate containers and identify.
D. Place in specimen container held by the circulator using a hemostat.

Answer 1

During an excisional biopsy of sentinel nodes, specimens should be prepared in separate containers and identified.

Step-by-step explanation:

During an excisional biopsy of sentinel nodes, the surgical technologist should prepare specimens using method C, which is to place the specimens in separate containers and identify them. During an excisional biopsy of sentinel nodes, the correct method for a surgical technologist to prepare specimens is C. Place in separate containers and identify. This is because each specimen must be accurately tracked and identified for pathology examination. While handling the specimens, they also need to be preserved properly to prevent drying out or degradation.

RAY-TEC sponges or Telfa pads are not the appropriate choices for sentinel node biopsies as they can cause confusion or the tissue can adhere to them, complicating the pathology evaluation.