Nothing to sneeze at! A study into intra-operative contamination

Area of Science:

• Surgical Safety and Infection Control
• Microbiology in Healthcare

Background:

• Intra-operative contamination poses a risk to patient safety.
• The efficacy of surgical masks in preventing contamination from surgeon sneezes requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the potential for intra-operative contamination from a masked surgeon's sneeze.
• To determine if head position influences contamination risk.

Main Methods:

• A prospective controlled trial involving four orthopaedic registrars.
• Bacterial cultures were taken from sneezes with and without surgical masks, in various head positions.
• Control plates and mask swabs were used to validate results.

Main Results:

• Masked sneezes resulted in significant bacterial growth in 8.33% (side) and 8.33% (front) of cultures.
• Unmasked direct sneezes showed significant bacterial counts in 75% of cases.
• Head position did not significantly alter contamination potential; masks significantly reduced bacterial counts (OR 0.03).

Conclusions:

• Surgical masks significantly reduce, but do not eliminate, bacterial contamination from sneezes.
• Contamination is possible in any direction, regardless of head position.
• Surgeons should distance themselves from the sterile field after sneezing and consider re-gowning and re-gloving.