What distance from the edges of the sterile field should the assistant consider contaminated?
Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN) Show A sterile field is established whenever a patient’s skin is intentionally punctured or incised, during procedures involving entry into a body cavity, or when contact with nonintact skin is possible (e.g., surgery or trauma). Surgical asepsis requires adherence to strict principles and intentional actions to prevent contamination and to maintain the sterility of specific parts of a sterile field during invasive procedures. Creating and maintaining a sterile field is foundational to aseptic technique and encompasses practice standards that are performed immediately prior to and during a procedure to reduce the risk of infection, including the following:
There are basic principles of asepsis that are critical to understand and follow when creating and maintaining a sterile field. The most basic principle is to allow only sterile supplies within the sterile field once it is established. This means that prior to using any supplies, exterior packaging must be checked for any signs of damage, such as previous exposure to moisture, holes, or tears. Packages should not be used if they are expired or if sterilization indicators are not the appropriate color. Sterile contents inside packages are dispensed onto the sterile field using the methods outlined below. See Figure 4.16[1] for an image of a nurse dispensing sterile supplies from packaging onto an established sterile field. When establishing and maintaining a sterile field, there are other important principles to strictly follow:
What distance must be kept from the sterile field?For unsterile personnel, such as the circulator, to move around the sterile field without contaminating it, he or she should maintain a distance of at least 12 inches from the sterile field.
How much of the border around a sterile field is considered contaminated?The 2” border around the sterile field is considered contaminated, so sterile items should not touch those areas Page 13 RULES FOR STERILE TECHNIQUE 9.
How far around a sterile drape is considered contaminated?Certain basic sterility concepts:
The edges of a sterile field are avoided (approximately 2 inches around a sterile field) with sterile items placed toward the center of the field rather than the edge. Items dropped below waist level or behind the operator are considered contaminated.
What part of the sterile field is considered contamination?Whenever a sterile item has been compromised, the package contents, gown or the sterile field involved are considered contaminated.
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