BoardVitals Intra-Op Practice Test

Changing gloves during a surgical procedure is an essential practice to maintain sterility and prevent contamination. Handling a specimen can introduce potential contaminants, as the specimen itself may harbor bacteria or other pathogens from the patient’s body. After interacting with a specimen, the surgical tech should change gloves to ensure that any microbial load on the hands does not compromise the sterile field, especially before touching other sterile instruments or the surgical site.

While the other scenarios might seem relevant for glove changes, they do not necessarily require immediate glove changes for sterility. Placing sutures or closing the incision does not typically involve handling potentially contaminated materials that would necessitate a glove change. Switching from open to laparoscopic instruments, while an important phase of the surgery, may not always require changing gloves unless the instruments being handled pose a contamination risk.