Aseptic technique

Aseptic technique comprises practices that prevent microorganisms from entering sterile tissues, equipment, or environments. It combines barriers, sterilized materials, and controlled handling to reduce contamination.

Sterilization: A process that destroys or removes all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores. Sterilized instruments and materials begin aseptic procedures free of viable microorganisms.
Surgical asepsis: Practices used to maintain sterility during invasive procedures and within sterile body sites. It applies aseptic technique to operations and other procedures entering sterile tissues.
Microorganism: An organism or biological agent too small to be seen clearly without magnification. Microorganisms are the contaminants aseptic practices aim to exclude or control.
Disinfection: The process of eliminating many or all pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate objects, usually not bacterial spores. Disinfection may leave spores and does not by itself establish a sterile field.
Antisepsis: The use of antimicrobial substances on living tissue to reduce microorganisms. Skin antisepsis lowers microbes at an entry site without sterilizing living tissue.
Medical asepsis: Practices that reduce the number and spread of microorganisms without maintaining complete sterility. It contrasts with surgical asepsis by controlling contamination rather than preserving a sterile field.
Contamination: The unwanted introduction of a substance or organism into a material, place, or process. Aseptic technique is designed to prevent microbial contamination of protected sites and items.
Decontamination: The removal or neutralization of hazardous contamination to make an item or area safer to handle. Decontamination lowers hazards but does not necessarily render materials sterile.
Hand hygiene: Cleaning hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based preparation to reduce microbial transmission. Clean hands limit transfer of microbes while handling sterile supplies and sites.
Cell culture: The growth of cells outside an organism under controlled laboratory conditions. Aseptic handling prevents contaminating microbes from overtaking cultured cells.

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