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A Microbiological Assay of Common Operating Room (OR) Tapes: Developing a Culture for Patient Safety
Gaurav Chauhan1, Aman Upadhyay2, Samvid Dwivedi3
1Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian, Pennsylvania, USA.
Background:
There are no existing practices or methods to ensure cleanliness, sterility, or prevent cross-contamination when it comes to common operating room (OR) tape. The authors hypothesized that adhesive tapes used by anesthesia providers in ORs and off-site surgical areas might be colonized by microorganisms and that culturing these tape rolls would reveal significant monomicrobial and polymicrobial contamination. Material and Methods: The primary objective of this observational cohort study was to report and compare contamination rate including polymicrobial contamination rate between tape specimens collected from storage site and specimen from the ORs, off-sites, and after use on a patient. The outcome measures were the culture reports of the adhesive tapes. The authors then designed an intervention that integrated anesthesia providers' hand hygiene and maintenance of a barrier between the OR tapes and OR surfaces.
Results:
The authors reported gross contamination and cross-contamination among the OR off-site tapes. The contamination rates reported for tapes from OR, off-site specimens, and patient specimens were 68.2%,63.2%, and 100%, respectively. The authors again cultured adhesive tapes after the intervention and reported improved outcomes.
Conclusions:
The current quality improvement (QI) project identified the potential for OR tapes to serve as microbial vectors. The authors advocate environmental decontamination and anesthesia providers' hand hygiene in parallel as a part of routine anesthesia care in their practice and agree that the endotracheal tubes (ETTs) and orogastric or nasogastric tubes should be pre-packaged with single-use tape, which can be used for securing devices.
Insights
Operating room (OR) tapes can carry microorganisms, leading to contamination. Implementing hand hygiene and barriers significantly reduced microbial contamination on these essential surgical supplies.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infection Control
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Operating room (OR) tapes lack standardized cleaning protocols, posing a risk for microbial contamination and cross-contamination.
- Anesthesia providers' adhesive tapes in ORs and off-site surgical areas may harbor microorganisms.
- Hypothesis: Culturing OR tape rolls would reveal significant microbial colonization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess microbial contamination rates on OR tapes.
- To compare contamination between tapes from storage, ORs, off-sites, and post-patient use.
- To evaluate an intervention for reducing tape contamination.
Main Methods:
- Observational cohort study design.
- Collection and culturing of adhesive tape specimens from various locations (storage, OR, off-site, post-use).
- Implementation of an intervention involving hand hygiene and barrier use.
Main Results:
- High contamination rates observed: 68.2% (OR), 63.2% (off-site), and 100% (patient specimens).
- Gross contamination and cross-contamination were evident among OR and off-site tapes.
- Post-intervention cultures showed improved outcomes, indicating reduced microbial presence.
Conclusions:
- OR tapes can act as microbial vectors, highlighting a quality improvement need.
- Environmental decontamination and improved anesthesia provider hand hygiene are recommended for routine care.
- Single-use, pre-packaged tape for securing endotracheal tubes (ETTs) and nasogastric tubes is advocated.
