Abstract
Hospital-acquired surgical infection causes suffering and prolonged hospitalization for the individual patient and contributes to costs for society. Patient safety is at focus for the perioperative nurse preparing sterile material for surgery. The responsibility for maintaining asepsis at surgery rests on the perioperative nurse. There is a lack of knowledge about the extent to which a prepared sterile surgical table setting with time is contaminated by bacteria, and the effect of sterile cover.
Aim:
The aim of the study was to describe bacterial contamination on sterile operating table settings and the effect of covering for 15 or 24 hours.
Method:
Experiments were conducted to measure microorganism sediment on agar plates placed on operating table settings in fully ventilated operating rooms. Six settings were left uncovered for 12 hours (control), six with a sterile cover for 15 hours and six for 24 hours.
Results:
Two of the six covered settings were contaminated after 15 hours and four of the six covered settings were contaminated after 24 hours. All six uncovered settings were contaminated after 12 hours. A mean value of 22 bacterial colonies per m2 were found on those left for 15 hours, 65 per m2 on those left for 24 hours and 170 per m2 on those left for 12 hours. Coagulase-negative staphylococci and micrococci were found.
Conclusion:
The results support covering operating table settings to reduce bacterial contamination and that contamination is time-dependent. Further experiments are required for evidence development for safe prepared operating table settings.