Ann Tammelin

Single-use surgical clothing system for reduction of airborne bacteria in the operating room.

It is desirable to maintain a low bacterial count in the operating room air to prevent surgical site infection. This can be achieved by ventilation or by all staff in the operating room wearing clothes made from low-permeable material (i.e. clean air suits). We investigated whether there was a difference in protective efficacy between a single-use clothing system made of polypropylene and a reusable clothing system made of a mixed material (cotton/polyester) by testing both in a dispersal chamber and during surgical procedures. Counts of colony-forming units (cfu)/m(3) air were significantly lower when using the single-use clothing system in both settings.

Comparison of three distinct surgical clothing systems for protection from air-borne bacteria: A prospective observational study.

BackgroundTo prevent surgical site infection it is desirable to keep bacterial counts low in the operating room air during orthopaedic surgery, especially prosthetic surgery. As the air-borne bacteria are mainly derived from the skin flora of the personnel present in the operating room a reduction could be achieved by using a clothing system for staff made from a material fulfilling the requirements in the standard EN 13795. The aim of this study was to compare the protective capacity between three clothing systems made of different materials – one mixed cotton/polyester and two polyesters - which all had passed the tests according to EN 13795.MethodsMeasuring of CFU/m3 air was performed during 21 orthopaedic procedures performed in four operating rooms with turbulent, mixing ventilation with air flows of 755 – 1,050 L/s. All staff in the operating room wore clothes made from the same material during each surgical procedure.ResultsThe source strength (mean value of CFU emitted from one person per second) calculated for the three garments were 4.1, 2.4 and 0.6 respectively. In an operating room with an air flow of 755 L/s both clothing systems made of polyester reduced the amount of CFU/m3 significantly compared to the clothing system made from mixed material. In an operating room with air intake of 1,050 L/s a significant reduction was only achieved with the polyester that had the lowest source strength.ConclusionsPolyester has a better protective capacity than cotton/polyester. There is need for more discriminating tests of the protective efficacy of textile materials intended to use for operating garment.

Knowledge and understanding of antibiotic resistance and the risk of becoming a carrier when travelling abroad: A qualitative study of Swedish travellers

Background: Increasing globalisation, with the migration of people, animals and food across national borders increases the risk of the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To avoid becoming a carrier of antibiotic-resistant bacteria when travelling, knowledge about antibiotic resistance is important. Materials and methods: We aimed to describe the knowledge and understanding of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and of the risk for becoming a carrier of such bacteria, among Swedish travellers before their travel to high-risk areas. A questionnaire with three open-ended questions was distributed to 100 individuals before departure. Results: The travellers’ answers were analysed using content analysis, resulting in the theme ‘To be an insecure traveller who takes control over one’s own journey’. Our results showed that the travellers were aware of what the term ‘antimicrobial resistance’ meant, but did not understand its real significance, nor the consequences for the individual nor for society. They also distanced themselves from the problem. Few thought that their travel would entail a risk of becoming a carrier of resistant bacteria. The lack of knowledge caused an uncertainty among the travellers, whom tried to master the situation by using coping strategies. They proposed a number of measures to prevent carriership. The measures were general and primarily aimed at avoiding illness abroad, particularly acute gastro-intestinal infection. Conclusions: In health care and vaccination clinics, there is a need for improved information for persons intending to travel to high-risk areas, both about the risks of contracting antibiotic- resistant bacteria and about effective preventive measures.

Comparison of two single-use scrub suits in terms of effect on air-borne bacteria in the operating room

A low level of air-borne bacteria in the operating room air can be achieved if all staff wear clothes made of low-permeability material (i.e. clean air suits). This study investigated if there was a difference in protective efficacy between two single-use scrubs made of polypropylene by testing them during routinely performed orthopaedic surgical procedures. No significant difference in the colony-forming unit count/m3 air was found between the two scrubs, so the choice can be based on which scrub type is more comfortable for staff.

Temperature-controlled airflow ventilation in operating rooms compared with laminar airflow and turbulent mixed airflow

AIM To evaluate three types of ventilation systems for operating rooms with respect to air cleanliness [in colony-forming units (cfu/m3)], energy consumption and comfort of working environment (noise and draught) as reported by surgical team members. METHODS Two commonly used ventilation systems, vertical laminar airflow (LAF) and turbulent mixed airflow (TMA), were compared with a newly developed ventilation technique, temperature-controlled airflow (TcAF). The cfu concentrations were measured at three locations in an operating room during 45 orthopaedic procedures: close to the wound (<40cm), at the instrument table and peripherally in the room. The operating team evaluated the comfort of the working environment by answering a questionnaire. FINDINGS LAF and TcAF, but not TMA, resulted in less than 10cfu/m3 at all measurement locations in the room during surgery. Median values of cfu/m3 close to the wound (250 samples) were 0 for LAF, 1 for TcAF and 10 for TMA. Peripherally in the room, the cfu concentrations were lowest for TcAF. The cfu concentrations did not scale proportionally with airflow rates. Compared with LAF, the power consumption of TcAF was 28% lower and there was significantly less disturbance from noise and draught. CONCLUSION TcAF and LAF remove bacteria more efficiently from the air than TMA, especially close to the wound and at the instrument table. Like LAF, the new TcAF ventilation system maintained very low levels of cfu in the air, but TcAF used substantially less energy and provided a more comfortable working environment than LAF. This enables energy savings with preserved air quality.

Point-prevalence surveillance of healthcare-associated infections in Swedish hospitals, 2008-2014. Description of the method and reliability of results.

BACKGROUND In 2007 the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) decided to establish a nationwide system for point-prevalence surveillance of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) among hospitalized patients. Surveillance started in 2008 and has since then been performed twice a year (April and October). The documentation of HCAIs is performed by regular clinical physicians and nurses on each hospital ward aided by oral and written instructions. All Swedish publicly financed hospitals (>95% of all hospitals) are included (25,862 beds in 2008 and 24,905 beds in 2013). A total of 88-92% of all inpatients has been covered in each survey. The overall prevalence of HCAI (including psychiatric inpatients) has ranged from 7.8% to 10.0%. AIM In 2012 SALAR decided to assess the reliability of the prevalence data. METHODS In all, 1216 patients were assessed for HCAIs by both the regular surveillance teams and teams with expert knowledge on HCAI independently of each other. FINDINGS The prevalence of HCAI was 8.3% (95% confidence interval: 6.7-9.9) according to the regular teams and 13.1% (11.2-15.0) according to the expert teams. The sensitivity of the regular point-prevalence surveillance was 47% and the specificity 97%. CONCLUSION The Swedish system for repeated nationwide point-prevalence surveillance of HCAI has had a high coverage of about 90% since it commenced. However, the surveys underestimate the true prevalence of HCAI.

Clean or sterile technique when inserting indwelling urinary catheter: An evaluation of nurses’ and assistant nurses’ interpretations of a guideline at an acute-care hospital in Sweden

Insertion of indwelling urinary catheters should be performed in a way that minimizes the risk of introducing bacteria to the urinary bladder. Nurses and assistant nurses from three departments at an acute-care hospital in Sweden answered a questionnaire about their insertion of urinary catheterization. Of the 563 nurses, 92% answered the questionnaire. Among the 492 who performed catheterization, 58% (n = 287) said that they followed the hospital guideline. Two-thirds of those following the hospital guideline said that they used clean technique and one-third sterile technique. In all, 82% considered the catheter should be kept sterile while inserted but only 16% described all the prerequisites to achieve this. Over 90% of the respondents performed catheterization less than once a week. Our conclusion is that a guideline should describe every step of catheterization in detail and that an evidence-based process for implementation of the guideline is necessary to achieve uniformity in performance.