Journal Basic Info

  • Impact Factor: 1.989**
  • H-Index: 6
  • ISSN: 2637-4625
  • DOI: 10.25107/2637-4625
**Impact Factor calculated based on Google Scholar Citations. Please contact us for any more details.

Major Scope

  •  Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
  •  Breast Surgery
  •  Minimal Invasive Surgery
  •  Transplant Surgery
  •  Vascular Surgery
  •  Surgical Procedures
  •  Obstetrics & Gynecology
  •  Hand Surgery

Abstract

Citation: World J Surg Surg Res. 2019;2(1):1121.DOI: 10.25107/2637-4625.1121

Is the Repair of Reusable Surgical Drapes Safe? A Pilot Study

Paul Sharplin and Gary Hooper

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand

*Correspondance to: Paul Sharplin 

 PDF  Full Text Research Article | Open Access

Abstract:

Introduction: Sterile surgical drapes provide a barrier between the operative site and the environment. These drapes can be made from reusable fabrics, or can be single use disposable items. Each has advantages; however there has been a trend toward the use of disposable drapes in recent years. Our institution uses Compel® (Standard Textile, Cincinnati OH) reusable drapes, and many have undergone repair with fabric patches. This pilot study aimed to identify whether repairing reusable surgical drapes increases intra-operative bacterial recolonisation of the drape during orthopaedic surgery.
Methods: This was an observational pilot study of ten orthopaedic trauma cases where the reusable surgical drapes used in the procedure had undergone fabric patch repairs within the surgical field. Microbiological swabs were taken from the repaired site on the drape, as well as an intact control site, prior to surgical incision and then at set 30 min intervals thereafter. Samples were cultured aerobically and anaerobically for seven days and a colony count performed to determine bacterial recolonisation rates.
Results: A total of 84 intraoperative samples (42 repair and 42 control sites) were taken from ten drapes during January and February 2015. Neither aerobic nor anaerobic cultures showed evidence of bacterial recolonisation at either the repair sites (0/84) or control sites (0/84). Three plates showed evidence of contaminant species outside the inoculation area (3/168).
Discussion: This small pilot study demonstrated no evidence that patched repair of reusable surgical drapes resulted in increased intra-operative bacterial recolonization, suggesting no increased risk of infection from using repaired drapes.

Keywords:

Surgical drapes; Orthopaedics; Surgical wound infection; Infection control; Surgical equipment

Cite the Article:

Sharplin P, Hooper G. Is the Repair of Reusable Surgical Drapes Safe? A Pilot Study. World J Surg Surgical Res. 2019; 2: 1121.

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