Bacterial contamination of sterile angiographic work environments during animal studies

Bacterial contamination of angiographic materials and fluids has been shown to occur during human angiographic procedures. Angiographic examinations and experiments must be performed under sterile conditions to avoid complications due to contamination and possible subsequent infections. However, data regarding the frequency and the clinical consequences are limited. Our aim was to investigate the incidence of bacterial contamination during experimental angiographies. We tested angiographic fluids, syringes and endovascular materials from the angiographic supply tables for bacterial contamination, collecting 252 samples during 18 experimental angiographies in pigs. After sterile filtration, samples were cultured on media, and individual colony-forming units were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Contamination was detected in the majority of samples (60%). There was no angiography in which all samples remained sterile. The highest contamination rates (94%) were found in fluids from the working bowls and on the outer surface of syringes (85%) at the end of angiography. At this time, working bowls were significantly more frequently and extensively contaminated than the control bowls. Among the samples, the frequency and extent of contamination increased with the duration of the experimental angiographic procedures. Our findings show that bacterial contamination during angiography is common and the manipulation of endovascular working materials as well as the duration of angiographic procedures both increase bacterial contamination. While the clinical impact on the laboratory animal remains unclear, the quality of biomedical research mandates that efforts to minimize bacterial contamination should be taken as far as possible.