Contamination of operating room personnel during total arthroplasty.
The authors prospectively evaluated the degree of contamination to the operating room team during 60 consecutive total joint arthroplasties. Each member of the team was required to wear a hood, mask, protective eyewear, and shoecovers. At the conclusion of each procedure, all members were assessed in terms of degree and location of contamination. One hundred percent of the surgeons and first assistants were exposed. The face and eyewear were noted to be the area of greatest contamination. The authors found orthopedic surgeons to be at significant risk of contamination with blood and body fluids during total joint arthroplasty.
Smith
R C
RC
Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
Mooar
P A
PA
Cooke
T
T
Sherk
H H
HH
D001769:Blood; D001826:Body Fluids; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D013502:General Surgery; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D007720:Knee Prosthesis; D009726:Nurses; D009784:Occupational Diseases; D009873:Operating Rooms; D011446:Prospective Studies