The good news is that products and technologies have emerged to
address airborne bioburden, and that awareness of the issue is
increasing throughout the industry. What can you do to keep the air
clean in your ORs? Proper ventilation definitely helps, but it's not a
cure-all. You need a combination of protocols and technology to
address the issue as fully as you can.
Airborne issues
One thing that's difficult about this issue is that we don't have OR air
contamination standards. It's also difficult to measure airborne con-
taminants. But here is what we know: More and more research shows
a connection between aerosolized bacteria and surgical site infec-
tions.
Although OR air quality should be a concern for all surgeries, it's
particularly important during any procedure involving implants, such
as orthopedics, where there's a lot of manipulation and sawing and
reaming, and a lot of activity and movement of staff. Just a few organ-
isms getting on an implant can start to grow rapidly once it's inside
the body.
Numerous studies have linked contamination and outbreaks in the
OR to specific strains of bacteria transmitted from staff to patient.
Those findings highlight the importance of ensuring your surgical
team always wears proper scrub attire, performs skin preps correct-
ly, and covers their hair and arms. Remind them to not bring cell
phones or any other personal items in the OR. They need to be held
accountable for their roles in preventing surgical site infections.
That accountability holds true for the number of times the OR
door is opened during a case. There's an increasing amount of foot
traffic in today's ORs; vendor reps are common visitors, but nurses
and other clinicians are constantly running out for instruments or
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