title: Intraoperative contamination of the suction tip in clean orthopedic surgeries in dogs and cats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To (1) determine suction tip (intermittent and continuous mode) contamination rate in orthopedic surgery in dogs and cats; (2) examine the effect of surgical time on contamination; and (3) report bacteria isolated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clean orthopedic surgeries (n = 50).
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical procedures were assigned to 1 of 2 groups: (1) continuous (n = 25) or (2) intermittent suction (n = 25). A control suction was operated in each surgery. Samples for aerobic and anaerobic bacteriologic examination were collected from the surgical suction at 0, 20, 60 minutes, and at the end of surgery, and from the control suction at the end of the surgery only. Comparison of continuous and intermittent suction data, and the effect of surgical time on contamination rate were analyzed using a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis followed by a Cox proportional hazards model. P < .05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aerobic contamination occurred in 22 of 50 surgical procedures and there was no anaerobic growth. There was no significant difference between continuous and intermittent suction mode groups (P = .40). Surgical time did not influence the contamination rate (P = .79). Bacterial cultures mainly revealed coagulase-negative Staphylococci, however multiresistant bacteria were isolated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We failed to find superiority of the intermittent operation mode of the suction tip over the continuous mode. A safe time frame before contamination of the suction tip occurs that could not be defined.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Small Animal Surgery, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. nmedl@vetclinics.uzh.ch
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Medl
authors.forename: Tomás G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hölzle
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hässig
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lochbrunner
authors.forename: Pierre M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Montavon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D004285:Dogs; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000662:veterinary*; D013396:Suction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000662:veterinary; D013522:Surgery, Veterinary / Q000295:instrumentation; D013525:Surgical Instruments / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary