After opening your sterile gown onto your mayo stand, you deliver your peel packaged sterile gloves. As the gloves leave the package, they slide off the package edge and onto the sterile towel and gown. What is your next move?

In this scenario, when the sterile gloves contact the sterile towel and gown after leaving the package, sterility is compromised. The main principle of maintaining a sterile field during surgical procedures is that any item that is dropped or comes into contact with a non-sterile surface cannot be reused without risking infection.

Choosing to discard both the gown and the gloves and opening a new gown and a new pair of gloves is the correct course of action. This ensures that all materials involved maintain sterility, which is vital to prevent post-operative infections. A fresh gown and gloves will allow you to reset the sterile field properly, ensuring safe practice when proceeding with the surgical procedure.

Retaining the compromised items, such as gloves or gown, would introduce a risk of infection due to potential breaches in sterility, which is why alternative options involving cleaning or using the potentially contaminated items are not appropriate in this context.