[A new method of sterilization of donor eyes]

Microbiologic examinations of 200 pairs of donor eyes have revealed Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Proteus infection of 124 pairs of eyes (62 percent). Sensitivities of the isolated microorganisms to various antibacterial drugs was examined. Gentamicin and chlorhexidine proved to be the most effective in respect of the microorganisms isolated from cadaveric eyes. These results enabled the authors suggest a new method for donor eyes sterilization, consisting in placing the donor eyes in aqueous solution of chlorhexidine (0.05 percent) and gentamicin (0.0125 percent) for 10 min immediately before surgery. This method was tried with 300 pairs of cadaveric eyes. Its high efficacy was confirmed by the absence of postoperative complications induced by infection transmission via the transplant. Early infectious complications were recorded in 8 patients of the reference group, where the transplants were sterilized routinely; in 4 cases it was a P. aeruginosa infection.