During a dressing change, which action would compromise surgical asepsis?

During a dressing change, which action would compromise surgical asepsis?

• A. The normal saline cap drops onto the floor after the nurse pours the saline onto her tray.
• B. The practical nurse discards the disposable gloves used to remove the old dressing prior to opening the sterile tray.
• C. The practical nurse uses a hand sanitizer for 15 seconds prior to starting the dressing change.
• D. The normal saline was opened previously, and there is no date and time on it.

Answer: (D)

Maintaining sterility during a dressing change means that every item added to the sterile field remains uncontaminated and identifiable as sterile. When the normal saline was opened previously and there is no date and time on it, you can’t be sure it’s still within the safe-use window or free from contamination. Without a date/time, you can’t confirm how long the bottle has been in use, which risks introducing bacteria into the wound and breaking sterile technique. If the cap drops onto the floor, it risks bringing debris and microbes into contact with the bottle or sterile field, so that item would not be acceptable for use once it contacts the floor. Discarding the gloves used to remove the old dressing before opening the sterile tray aligns with aseptic practice, since you wouldn’t touch sterile items with contaminated gloves. Using hand sanitizer for 15 seconds before starting is appropriate for reducing microbial load and preserving a clean starting point for the procedure.

Maintaining sterility during a dressing change means that every item added to the sterile field remains uncontaminated and identifiable as sterile. When the normal saline was opened previously and there is no date and time on it, you can’t be sure it’s still within the safe-use window or free from contamination. Without a date/time, you can’t confirm how long the bottle has been in use, which risks introducing bacteria into the wound and breaking sterile technique.

If the cap drops onto the floor, it risks bringing debris and microbes into contact with the bottle or sterile field, so that item would not be acceptable for use once it contacts the floor. Discarding the gloves used to remove the old dressing before opening the sterile tray aligns with aseptic practice, since you wouldn’t touch sterile items with contaminated gloves. Using hand sanitizer for 15 seconds before starting is appropriate for reducing microbial load and preserving a clean starting point for the procedure.