What is one proper action when a surgical technologist encounters a package with questionable sterility?

In a surgical setting, maintaining sterility is crucial for patient safety. When a surgical technologist comes across a package that raises concerns about its sterility, the proper action is to dispose of it and obtain a new, properly sterilized package. This approach effectively mitigates the risk of infection or complications during the surgical procedure.

Using a package with questionable sterility could compromise the sterile field and lead to postoperative infections, which can have serious consequences for patient health. By disposing of the uncertain package and retrieving a new one, the surgical technologist ensures that only sterile instruments and materials are used, maintaining the highest standards of patient care and safety.

The other options may involve actions that could perpetuate the risk of contamination. For example, sealing up or labeling the questionable package for further review does not eliminate the potential risk and may lead to its use despite its uncertain status. Keeping it for future use is also unsafe, as there is no guarantee that it will remain sterile over time. Thus, immediate disposal is the most responsible action in this scenario.