Infection Guidance: Air Turbulence in Operating Room Increases Risk of Orthopedic Infection

In its Guide to the Elimination of Orthopedic Surgical Site Infections, the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) states, “If airflow is interrupted, rapid air turbulence can stir settled particles, enabling them to become airborne thus increasing the risk for wound contamination.” By applying recent research to APIC’s Guidance, StopSurgicalInfections.org found that forced-air warming systems violate APIC’s Guidance “by drawing potentially contaminated particles from below the operating table into the surgical site.”   

Minneapolis, MN July 25, 2013

According to the Association of Professionals in Infection Control (APIC), the maintenance of uninterrupted, downward airflow during orthopedic surgery is “vitally important.” Several recent articles published in top peer-reviewed medical journals, however, confirm that forced-air patient warming, such as 3M’s Bair Hugger, produces rising, turbulent convection currents that can mobilize floor-level contaminants.

The printing and distribution of APIC’s Guide was sponsored by 3M.  APIC, of course, neither endorses nor is affiliated with this press release.

“The APIC guidance,” says Dr. Scott Augustine, inventor of Bair Hugger, “ summarizes the reason that researchers have questioned the safety of forced-air patient warming (“FAW”) in orthopedic implant and other ultra-clean surgeries.  I believe the research is conclusive—the largest study involved a retrospective analysis of 1,437 hip or knee replacements. It showed a 74.6% decrease in deep joint infection when FAW was discontinued and replaced with air-free warming.”