J u l y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 8 1
T
he "sterile field" maintained above the surgical site by
ceiling-to-floor laminar airflow may be a fiction. Although
the practice may work under perfect conditions, the con-
ditions in an OR are rarely perfect. When doors open,
when a tech rolls a C-arm in, when lights and micro-
scopes interrupt overhead air, and when people move back and forth,
particles may end up settling on the wound, the instruments and the
implants.
In an article in the British publication Surgeon titled "Laminar air-
flow and the prevention of surgical site infection. More harm than
good?" the authors remark that while laminar airflow seems to work
in vitro, it doesn't work in vivo. "Few clinical studies demonstrate a
convincing correlation between decreased SSI rates and laminar air-
flow," and in fact many suggest the opposite. A search of 25 years'
worth of literature by British and Australian authors published in BMJ
Open found "no convincing evidence in favor of the use of laminar air-
flow over conventional ventilation for prevention of total-hip-replace-
Can new airflow and air purification
products help solve the drawbacks of
traditional ceiling-to-floor laminar airflow?
Do You Care to Clear the Air?
Jeannette Sabatini | Associate Editor