As an approach to reducing wound contamination from airborne bacteria during surgery, an experimental system was developed and evaluated. The system consisted of a transparent collapsible clean room, a laminar flow air filter system, a full-bubble helmet with associated ventilation and communications, and special surgical gowns. The experimental surgical system was compared with the regular system in 820 surgical cases. Use of the experimental system reduced wound contamination rates by 87%. A human factors engineering analysis identified several areas of potential improvement in system operability.
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