Effect of Plasma Air Purifiers on Infection Rates in Orthopedic Surgery

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Infectious disease control
• Public health

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSI) are a significant concern in orthopedic surgery.
• Airborne transmission is a potential cause of SSI.
• Standard ventilation systems have limited efficacy in reducing SSI rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of low-cost air purifiers in reducing SSI rates after orthopedic surgery.
• To evaluate the impact of active air purifiers on infection markers in operating rooms.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide, multicenter, double-blind, cluster-randomized crossover, placebo-controlled superiority trial.
• Inclusion of all patients undergoing orthopedic surgery.
• Comparison of surgery in operating rooms with active vs. inactive air purifiers (Novaerus NV800).
• Primary endpoint: SSI within 12 weeks, defined by a postsurgery infection marker (PSIM).

Main Results:

• Analysis of 40,547 patients (19,869 intervention, 20,678 control).
• PSIM rate was 9.2% in the intervention group and 9.4% in the control group (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.91-1.05).
• No significant difference in SSI rates observed across subgroups.

Conclusions:

• Wall-mounted plasma air purifiers did not reduce the PSIM rate in orthopedic surgery.
• The addition of these air purifiers is not effective in modern operating rooms with standard ventilation.