bers are carriers of
Staphylococcus
aureus. When staff
members move into
and out of the OR dur-
ing surgery, they inter-
rupt laminar airflow,
which increases the
risk of airborne con-
taminants reaching the
sterile field. Laminar
flow is also disrupted
when its currents hit
stationary objects
around the surgical
table.
Current standards
for OR air quality are based on engineering requirements for air flow
and ventilation. They do not address specific evidence-based criteria
for the quantitative reduction of viable microbial aerosols. So how do
you measure and manage potentially infectious aerosols in the OR
air?
There are no practical ways. Perhaps that's why infection preven-
tionists often focus on contact contamination, aseptic technique, the
shedding of skin flora from surgical team members and patients, sur-
face disinfection and hand hygiene in their efforts to reduce contami-
nation risks in the OR.
That's certainly understandable. But we now have access to
sophisticated data that clearly show airborne contamination is
occurring in the OR. There is also an increasing body of clinical evi-
5 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 1 9
• HARDWARE STORE Implants are susceptible to harboring airborne bacteria, which
puts joint replacement patients at increased risk of suffering post-op infections.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR