Which instruments are listed as sanitation items?

• A. Scissors, forceps, needle holders
• B. Scalpel and sutures
• C. Tape and gauze
• D. Clips and clamps

Answer: (A)

Sanitation items are the reusable tools that must be cleaned and sterilized between patients because they come into contact with tissues and fluids. Scissors, forceps, and needle holders are classic examples of such instruments: they’re used repeatedly in procedures and require proper sanitation to prevent infection.

The other options mix items that aren’t all instruments or aren’t grouped as reusable tools that must be processed. A scalpel paired with sutures includes a single instrument plus a material, which isn’t a set of instruments. Tape and gauze are disposable dressings, not instruments. Clips and clamps can be instruments too, but the combination is less clearly a standard sanitation-instrument group.