During a surgical procedure, the nurse is unwrapping a set of sterile instruments to use for the surgery and notes a water stain on the outside of the package. What is the next intervention?
A)Continue to unwrap the set and use the instruments as indicated.
B)Open the pack and try to determine which instruments are usable.
C)Stop the procedure and notify infection control about a potential breach in policy.
D)Discard the instrument pack and obtain another; the first set is contaminated.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nurse should discard the instrument pack and obtain another; the first set is contaminated. The presence of water stains indicates that the pack may be wet from condensation. This means the instruments were not thoroughly dry before packaging, meaning they could potentially harbor microorganisms. They should be sterilized again.

During a Surgical Procedure, the Nurse Is Unwrapping a Set