Jump to content

SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Electro-Surgical Units/ESU Troubleshooting Quiz

From Appropedia
▼This page is a part of the Perioperative Nursing Curriculum by ECSACONM and SELFPlease see the Intuitive Foundation Terms of Use and do not edit without permission.

Use the quiz below to check your understanding of the material.

Instructions

Work through each question carefully to choose the best answer, and submit the quiz to view your results. After completing the quiz, read through the answer explanations to review the reasoning behind both correct and incorrect options.

Return to main

1

During electrosurgery, the generator repeatedly alarms and tissue cutting becomes ineffective. What should the perioperative nurse do first?

Stop electrosurgical activation and begin a systematic assessment of the equipment and electrical circuit
Increase the power setting until tissue cutting improves
Continue the procedure because generator alarms commonly occur during surgery
Replace the active electrode without inspecting any other part of the system

2

Which situation presents the greatest risk of unintended alternate-site burns during monopolar electrosurgery?

Using the lowest effective power setting
Poor adhesion of the patient return electrode resulting in reduced contact with the skin
Using bipolar electrosurgery for delicate tissue
Returning the active electrode to its safety holster between activations

3

Which sequence best demonstrates a systematic approach to troubleshooting an ESU malfunction?

Cycle generator power, replace the generator, then inspect the return electrode
Replace the patient return electrode immediately whenever an alarm occurs
Confirm the activation control, inspect generator ports and cable connections, verify return electrode adhesion, inspect cables, replace suspect accessories, and cycle generator power only if necessary
Increase the generator output before checking the equipment

4

Which finding most strongly suggests insulation failure or equipment malfunction during electrosurgery?

The generator displays the selected power setting correctly
The surgeon requests a different coagulation setting
The active electrode is returned to its holster between activations
Excessive sparking, unexpected tissue charring at low settings, or absence of the expected generator tone

5

Which statement best reflects safe electrical practice during electrosurgery?

Electrical safety begins before activation and continues throughout the entire procedure
Electrical safety is complete once the generator has passed its pre-use functional test
Damaged cables may be used if the generator does not display an alarm
Generator alarms may be ignored if tissue cutting appears satisfactory

Return to main

Page data
Part of Setting Up the Operating Room - ECSACONM
Keywords surgery, health
SDG SDG03 Good health and well-being
Authors Ian-laurel
License CC-BY-SA-4.0
Organizations ECSACONM, SELF
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 1 pages link here
Views 0 page views (analytics)
Created July 13, 2026 by 2607:FEA8:3441:6400:D4CF:A08A:DEEB:64C8
Last edit July 13, 2026 by StandardWikitext bot
Cite as "SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Electro-Surgical Units/ESU Troubleshooting Quiz". Appropedia. 2026. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
API queries basic, semantic, html, files, more
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.