What should you do if an assistant touches a non-sterile surface?

What should you do if an assistant touches a non-sterile surface?

• A. Re-glove or re-drape as needed; maintain sterile technique.
• B. Ignore and continue.
• C. Stop surgery and wake patient.
• D. Wait until end of case to address.

Answer: (A)

Maintaining a sterile field and quickly restoring asepsis when contamination occurs is essential. If an assistant touches a non-sterile surface, the sterile barrier is breached and the risk of introducing microbes to the surgical wound increases. The best response is to re-establish sterility by re-gloving or re-draping as needed, so the hands and the field become sterile again before continuing. Re-gloving ensures your hands are sterile, and re-draping restores a proper sterile boundary around the operative area. This protects the patient from infection and keeps the procedure on a safe aseptic track. Do not ignore the breach or leave it unaddressed until the end of the case, as that would leave the field contaminated and raise infection risk. If the contamination involved gloves, replace them; if the drape is contaminated, re-drape accordingly.

Maintaining a sterile field and quickly restoring asepsis when contamination occurs is essential. If an assistant touches a non-sterile surface, the sterile barrier is breached and the risk of introducing microbes to the surgical wound increases. The best response is to re-establish sterility by re-gloving or re-draping as needed, so the hands and the field become sterile again before continuing. Re-gloving ensures your hands are sterile, and re-draping restores a proper sterile boundary around the operative area. This protects the patient from infection and keeps the procedure on a safe aseptic track. Do not ignore the breach or leave it unaddressed until the end of the case, as that would leave the field contaminated and raise infection risk. If the contamination involved gloves, replace them; if the drape is contaminated, re-drape accordingly.