The sterile field becomes contaminated if it becomes wet during the procedure. Which of the following is an appropriate action?

• A. Treat the field as contaminated and re-establish sterile technique
• B. Ignore moisture and proceed
• C. Use the same sterile supplies
• D. Leave the room and re-enter later

Answer: (A)

Moisture on a sterile field breaks the sterile barrier because wetness can transport bacteria from nonsterile areas into the field. When the field becomes wet, it is treated as contaminated and must be re-established with a new sterile setup. This means removing and discarding any wet or touched items, preparing a fresh sterile field with new drapes, and re-gowning and re-gloving as needed before continuing. Proceeding with moisture on the field or reusing the same supplies keeps contamination risk high, and leaving the room to re-enter later doesn’t fix the compromised field. The goal is to restore a dry, sterile environment before continuing the procedure.