A P R I L 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 6 1
surgical schedule, and occasionally after cases involving high-risk patients with
microorganisms you don't want subsequent patients exposed to.
It 's the environment
Interest in understanding the role of the OR environment in transmission of sur-
gical site infections has increased greatly in recent years. Poor hand hygiene cer-
tainly plays a supporting role, but there's a growing awareness that the environ-
ment is getting patients sick. The room is the problem, they say. When Patient A
leaves the room and you clean the room for Patient B, studies show that less
than 50% of room surfaces are untouched. There's enough contaminant left
when patient A leaves the room to pose a threat to infect Patient B. C. diff,
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other pathogens can
live on surfaces for 5 months.
St. Cloud launches a yearlong study of Dora and Gus this month, monitoring
the infection rates in total joint and back surgery patients. Ms. Tonsager is
expecting to see some downward trends.
"To me, one infection a year is too many," she says.
OSM
E-mail doconnor@outpatientsurgery.net.
