Perioperative Bacterial Contamination From Patients on Contact Precaution in Operating Room Environment

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Disease
• Healthcare Epidemiology

Background:

• Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) pose a significant threat in healthcare settings.
• Patients requiring contact precautions for MDROs necessitate stringent environmental controls.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the microbial contamination of the operating room (OR) environment.
• To evaluate the persistence of pathogens after surgical procedures in patients under contact precautions.

Main Methods:

• Environmental sampling of the OR before and after surgery.
• Microbiological analysis for aerobic bacteria and specific MDROs, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
• Assessment of cleaning and disinfection efficacy.

Main Results:

• The perioperative environment was contaminated with aerobic bacteria post-surgery.
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was detected in the OR environment after patient surgery.
• MRSA contamination persisted even after standard cleaning and disinfection protocols were implemented.

Conclusions:

• The OR environment can be a reservoir for aerobic bacteria and MRSA.
• Standard cleaning protocols may be insufficient to eliminate MRSA from the OR environment.
• Enhanced and meticulous cleaning and disinfection strategies are crucial to mitigate environmental contamination and prevent transmission of multidrug-resistant pathogens.