The patient has a large,deep abdominal incision that requires a dressing.The incision is packed with sterile 1.75-cm packing and covered with a dry,10 ´ 10-cm gauze.When changing the dressing,the nurse accidentally drops the packing onto the patient's abdomen.Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
A) Add alcohol to the packing and insert it into the incision.
B) Throw the packing away, and prepare a new one.
C) Pick up the packing with sterile forceps, and gently place it into the incision.
D) Rinse the packing with sterile water, and put the packing into the incision with sterile gloves.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Dropping the packing on the patient's abdomen makes it non-sterile, and therefore, it cannot be used. The nurse should throw away the packing and prepare a new sterile packing to avoid the risk of introducing infection. A contaminated packing can put the patient at risk of developing a surgical site infection.

The Patient Has a Large,deep Abdominal Incision That Requires a Dressing.The