title: The dynamics and implications of bacterial transmission events arising from the anesthesia work area.
abstract: Health care-associated infections are a hospital-wide concern associated with a significant increase in patient morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Bacterial transmission in the anesthesia work area of the operating room environment is a root cause of 30-day postoperative infections affecting as many as 16% of patients undergoing surgery. A better understanding of anesthesia-related bacterial transmission dynamics may help to generate improvements in intraoperative infection control and improve patient safety.
authors: From the *Department of Anesthesiology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire; and †Department of Anesthesiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors: Randy W
authors: RW
authors: Loftus
authors: Matthew D
authors: MD
authors: Koff
authors: David J
authors: DJ
authors: Birnbach
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000379:methods*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D004203:Disinfection; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D004867:Equipment Design; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D063373:Hand Hygiene; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009873:Operating Rooms; D061214:Patient Safety; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics