Debunking the Myth: What You Really Need to Know about Clothing, Electronic Devices, and Surgical Site Infection

Svetanoff, Wendy Jo; Dekonenko, Charlene; Briggs, Kayla B.; Sujka, Joseph; Osuchukwu, Obiyo; Dorman, Robert M.; Oyetunji, Tolulope A.; Peter, Shawn D. St.

doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.11.032

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Our data provide evidence for the safety of extended surgical mask use in the setting of restricted resource utilization. After every case for both the patient and provider protection, the replacement of surgical masks is a practice based upon recommendations from governing bodies such as AORN that may not be the adequately evidence-based guidelines [8]. Rapid and significant operating room policy modification requiring the extended use of disposable surgical masks highlights the lack of evidence and paucity of literature on infection control requirements related to surgical mask use.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behind the mask: extended use of surgical masks is not associated with increased risk of surgical site infection

et al. 2021

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Purpose COVID-19 has prompted significant policy change, with critical attention to the conservation of personal protective equipment (PPE). An extended surgical mask use policy was implemented at our institution, allowing use of one disposable mask per each individual, per day, for all the cases. We investigate the clinical impact of this policy change and its effect on the rate of 30-day surgical site infection (SSI). Methods A single-institution retrospective review was performed for all the elective pediatric general surgery cases performed pre-COVID from August 2019 to October 2019 and under the extended mask use policy from August 2020 to October 2020. Procedure type, SSI within 30 days, and postoperative interventions were recorded. Results Four hundred and eighty-eight cases were reviewed: 240 in the pre-COVID-19 cohort and 248 in the extended surgical mask use cohort. Three SSIs were identified in the 2019 cohort, and two in the 2020 cohort. All postoperative infections were superficial and resolved within 1 month of diagnosis with oral antibiotics. There were no deep space infections, readmissions, or infections requiring re-operation. Conclusion Extended surgical mask use was not associated with increased SSI in this series of pediatric general surgery cases and may be considered an effective and safe strategy for resource conservation with minimal clinical impact.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behind the mask: extended use of surgical masks is not associated with increased risk of surgical site infection

et al. 2021

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“…20 Importantly, only a single surgical cap was provided to participants during the initial study period, a minority of Open access providers did not order a cap and use was mandatory. Though there is no difference in infection risk between fabric and disposable surgical caps, [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] reusable caps require laundering, making it difficult to wear a single cap every day. Thus, we found that while caps were abundant around the ORs, it was rare to observe entire teams wearing the caps simultaneously, potentially limiting their impact.…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Call me Ishmael: addressing the white whale of team communication in the operating room with labelled surgical caps at an academic medical centre

Goldhaber,

Mehta,

Longhurst

et al. 2024

BMJ Open Qual

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IntroductionEffective communication in the operating room (OR) is crucial. Addressing a colleague by their name is respectful, humanising, entrusting and associated with improved clinical outcomes. We aimed to enhance team communication in the perioperative environment by offering personalised surgical caps labelled with name and provider role to all OR team members at a large academic medical centre.Materials and methodsThis was a quasi-experimental, uncontrolled, before-and-after quality improvement study. A survey regarding perceptions of team communication, knowledge of names and roles, communication barriers, and culture was administered before and after cap delivery. Survey results were measured on a 5-point Likert Scale; descriptive statistics and mean scores were compared. All cause National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP) morbidity and mortality outcomes for surgical specialties were examined.Results1420 caps were delivered across the institution. Mean survey scores increased for knowing the names and roles of providers around the OR, feeling that people know my name and feeling comfortable communicating without barriers across disciplines. The mean score for team communication around the OR is excellent was unchanged. The highest score both before and after was knowing the name of an interdisciplinary team member is important for patient care. A total of 383 and 212 providers participated in the study before and after cap delivery, respectively. Participants agreed or strongly agreed that labelled surgical caps made it easier to talk to colleagues (64.9%) while improving communication (66.0%), team culture (60.5%) and patient care (56.8%). No significant differences were noted in NSQIP outcomes.ConclusionsPersonalised labelled surgical caps are a simple, inexpensive tool that demonstrates promise in improving perioperative team communication. Creating highly reliable surgical teams with optimal communication channels requires a multifaceted approach with engaged leadership, empowered front-line providers and an institutional commitment to continuous process improvement.

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“…Chlorine bleach should be added to the wash load. The specific amount is not indicated (Sehulster 2015 ; Svetanoff et al 2021 ).…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal home and hospital laundering of reusable surgical scrubs: Systematic literature review

Horn-Lodewyk¹,

Wainwright²,

Lessing³

et al. 2023

Health SA Gesondheid

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Background: Theatre personnel can spread healthcare-associated infections through contaminated surgical scrubs. Decontamination of surgical scrubs through optimal methods is important to minimise transmission of microorganisms from theatre personnel’s clothing to different areas in the hospital and their homes.Aim: This study aimed to review the literature on the optimal home and hospital laundering methods for the decontamination of reusable surgical scrubs worn by theatre personnel.Method: A systematic literature review of previous studies on laundering reusable surgical scrubs was performed. A review question was formulated using the patient, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) framework. A literature search was performed using ScienceDirect, Web of Science, ProQuest, EBSCOhost and Google Scholar.Results: A direct link could be established between the cycle length and water temperature. The higher the water temperature, the shorter the washing cycle required. After a load has been washed in low or medium water temperatures, tumble drying and ironing should follow. Despite the water temperature, a disinfectant must be added to the load.Conclusion: Health professionals and hospital management should be aware of optimal laundering guidelines for hospital and home laundering as part of infection control. Water temperature, time, mechanical action, type of disinfectant and heat are factors influencing the successful removal of bacteria and other pathogens and represent the baseline of this article.Contribution: Home-laundering of reusable surgical scrubs should follow strict guidelines. When these specific guidelines are applied, the effects of home-laundered scrubs will not negatively impact either the theatre or the home environment.

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Debunking the Myth: What You Really Need to Know about Clothing, Electronic Devices, and Surgical Site Infection

Cited by 9 publications

References 56 publications

Behind the mask: extended use of surgical masks is not associated with increased risk of surgical site infection

Behind the mask: extended use of surgical masks is not associated with increased risk of surgical site infection

Call me Ishmael: addressing the white whale of team communication in the operating room with labelled surgical caps at an academic medical centre

Optimal home and hospital laundering of reusable surgical scrubs: Systematic literature review

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