OR air not as sterile, clean as expected

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Patient care areas, including operating rooms, might not have as clean or sterile air as most people think, according to a speaker at the Retina World Congress.
“Ventilation systems in our patient care areas are not optimized to eliminate dangerous airborne particles,” Tarek S. Hassan, MD, said. “Within the operating room air, we have multiple particles that come from droplets, skin scales, the patients, instruments, which is a potential source for surgical site infection in a lot of specialties, as well as patient, doctor and staff infections.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Patient care areas, including operating rooms, might not have as clean or sterile air as most people think, according to a speaker at the Retina World Congress.
“Ventilation systems in our patient care areas are not optimized to eliminate dangerous airborne particles,” Tarek S. Hassan, MD, said. “Within the operating room air, we have multiple particles that come from droplets, skin scales, the patients, instruments, which is a potential source for surgical site infection in a lot of specialties, as well as patient, doctor and staff infections.”