Stockinette application over a non-prepped foot risks proximal contamination.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Infection Prevention
• Microbiology
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Surgical site contamination poses a significant risk in orthopedic procedures.
• Stockinette application is a common step in draping for lower extremity surgeries.
• The potential for stockinettes to introduce contamination requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the risk of surgical site contamination during stockinette application for lower extremity surgery.
• To determine if pre-operative foot disinfection eliminates contamination risk from stockinettes.

Main Methods:

• A simulated sterile surgical field was used with 10 cadaver lower extremities.
• Cadaver feet were contaminated with non-pathogenic Escherichia coli.
• Stockinettes were applied; five feet were disinfected with Chloroprep, and five were not.

Main Results:

• Proximal contamination was observed in all specimens where stockinettes were applied over non-prepped feet.
• No contamination occurred in any specimen where the foot was disinfected prior to stockinette application.

Conclusions:

• Stockinettes can be a source of surgical site contamination when applied over a non-prepared foot.
• Pre-operative disinfection of the foot effectively prevents stockinette-related contamination.
• Implementing disinfection protocols before stockinette application is crucial for reducing surgical site infections.