If a hole is noticed in the surgical technologist's glove during a procedure, what should be done next?

When a surgical technologist notices a hole in their glove during a procedure, the immediate and correct action is to change the glove using the open-gloving technique. This technique allows the surgical tech to replace the damaged glove without the need to break scrub and rescrub, which saves time and maintains sterile conditions.

The open-gloving technique is particularly useful in the operating room for quickly addressing issues like a glove perforation while ensuring that sterility is maintained. By changing the glove using this method, the surgical technologist can effectively prevent contamination and help ensure patient safety without unnecessary interruptions to the surgical procedure.

Using the closed-gloving technique or breaking scrub to rescrub and don a new gown and gloves is not necessary in this situation, as these approaches are more time-consuming and would disrupt the workflow of the surgery unnecessarily. Continuing the case with a compromised glove would also pose a risk of contamination, which is critical to avoid in a sterile environment.