Operating Room Environment

Abstract

Sepsis after total joint replacement is related directly to environmental contamination. Therefore, to control the source of environmental contamination, and ultimately sepsis, it must be realized that the operating room personnel are the major source of the bacteria as evidence by the rise in the colony forming units per square foot per hour from 13 units in an operating room without people to greater than 400 units during actual surgery. The use of inclusive gowns, such as hooded body exhaust, is most helpful. However, all operating room personnel including anesthesia personnel, circulating nurses, visitors, and the operating room team must wear inclusive gowns. Face masks and head covers offer no environmental protection. Some type of an environmental control, such as laminar airflow or ultraviolet light, is the most helpful with greater than 90% reduction of airborne bacteria at the wound and 60% reduction of airborne bacteria in the operating room. Therefore, to reduce environmental bacteria contamination the number of personnel in the operating room and the length of time for the actual surgery should be reduced, because wound contamination occurs first by direct fall out from the environment and second by contaminated equipment and gloved hands that initially were contaminated by the environment.