title: Assessment of wound contamination during surgery: a preliminary report comparing vertical laminar flow and conventional theatre systems.
abstract: As part of an on-going trial comparing wound infection in "ultra-clean" air and conventional theatres, wound contamination is assessed by a simple wash-out technique. The importance of wound contamination in relation to subsequent wound infection is emphasized. The wash-out technique used is simple to perform and minimizes the risk of contamination. The preliminary results confirm that cleaner air does result in less contaminated wounds.
mesh_terms: D000389:Air Conditioning; D000391:Air Microbiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D009873:Operating Rooms; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000382:microbiology