Cartilage on the floor: how effective is antibiotic sterilization?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Microbiology
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Nasal septal cartilage is susceptible to contamination during surgical procedures.
• The incidence of bacterial contamination from environmental exposure needs evaluation.
• Effective sterilization methods are crucial for preventing surgical site infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify bacterial contamination of nasal septal cartilage dropped on the operating room floor.
• To assess the efficacy of gentamicin irrigation in decontaminating such cartilage specimens.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 32 patients undergoing endoscopic septoplasties.
• Nasal septal cartilage specimens were intentionally contaminated by dropping on the floor.
• Treated groups included normal saline soak and gentamicin irrigation (60 and 300 seconds).
• Bacterial cultures were performed on cartilage, floor swabs, and nasal swabs.

Main Results:

• 31% of untreated cartilage specimens showed bacterial contamination.
• Saline soak did not significantly reduce contamination rates.
• Gentamicin irrigation for 60 seconds resulted in 0% bacterial growth.
• A 70% correlation was found between floor contamination and cartilage contamination.

Conclusions:

• Gentamicin irrigation is a highly effective method for decontaminating dropped nasal septal cartilage.
• This technique offers a viable solution for salvaging contaminated cartilage in specific clinical scenarios.