European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

AIR BACTERIOLOGY OF OPERATION THEATRE COMPLEXES FROM A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN RELATION TO ROLE OF INFECTION CONTROL PRACTICES

Nirmaljit Kaur*, Preeti Madan and Shalini Malhotra

ABSTRACT

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) are common nosocomial infection with variable incidence of 0.5%-15% worldwide depending on type of surgery performed. Per-operative contamination of wound is known to be a major risk factor for SSI and source of infection are multifarious varying from type of operation, surgeon’s skill, immune status of patient to contamination of environment. Material and Methods: Microbial air contamination was evaluated in 15 Operation Theatres (OT's) using settle plates method with objective to measure the index of microbial air contamination and assess the impact of infection control practices in controlling these infections. Conclusion: It is concluded that microbiological surveillance of operating theatres plays an important role in reducing bacterial contamination consequently reducing surgical site infections.

Keywords: Air bacteriology, Infection control, Surveillance.