Annals of surgery
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Environmental air and airborne infections.
The results of a study on the epidemiology of airborne (aerobic) surgical infections are presented. The first phase of the study was carried out in a surgical suite which contained no environmental or traffic control systems. The second phase of the study took place within a modern "up to date" operating room suite containing multiple air screens as well as an elaborate ventilation system utilizing HEPA type filters which provided the operating room with clinically sterile air. ⋯ The results of the study support the conclusion that the most common source of infecting organisms in surgical infections is thepatient or those around him. The most common time of contamination is during the surgical procedure itself. Surgical infections can best be minimized by meticulous observation of fundamental principles of antisepsis rather than by dependence on elaborate and costly ventilation and air control systems.