Hostname: page-component-54dcc4c588-5q6g5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-07T05:21:18.294Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Routine air sampling and culture in operating room for prevention of surgical site infection

Part of: APSIC 2024

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2025

Seon Uk Choi
Affiliation:
Infection Control OfficeAjou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea
Seo Yeon Lee
Affiliation:
Infection Control OfficeAjou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea
Ji Yeoung Yim
Affiliation:
Infection Control OfficeAjou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea
Young Hwa Choi
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious DiseasesAjou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
Wee Gyo Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory MedicineAjou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Objective: Open surgical wound is prone to surgical site infection due to contamination of surrounding environment. Therefore, routine air sampling and culture of two operating rooms (OR) was performed from 2018 to 2023 to monitor and evaluate air quality and provide appropriate infection control measures. Method: 2 OR regularly performing prosthetic insertion were selected for routine air sampling every 6 months due to high risk of surgical infection associated with the procedure. Air sampling was performed by collecting 1000 litre of air over 10 minutes using air sampler (MAS-100 Eco, Merck). Collected air was cultured on blood agar plate and Sabourand dextrose agar for 30 days, and pathogen identification and quantification was performed upon positive culture result. This study employed a cut-off point of 17.6 colony forming unit (CFU) as specified by federal standards on biological particles published by National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Results: 12 air samplings was performed from 2018 to 2023. A single case of positive bacterial air culture was reported (20 CFU, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus). Infection control measures were provided upon reporting of positive bacterial air culture, including inspection of positive pressure ventilation system and high efficiency particulate air filter, disinfection of OR and the equipment, and more strict regulation of temperature and humidity. Air sampling was repeated after imposing the measures to evaluate their effectiveness. Cases of surgical site infection caused by the identified pathogen were monitored for 90 days, after which it was determined that there was no surgical site infection related to positive air culture. Conclusion: The six-year monitoring of OR air sampling confirmed that detection of positive air culture in routine sampling was not associated with surgical site infection. Based on this result, the hospital decided to conduct air sampling and culture only in outbreak of surgical site infection as part of epidemiologic evaluation.

Information

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America