From storage or transportation, small punctures in the packaging can occur. These wet spots may wick contamination into the package therefore, these items should not be used and instead need to be re-sterilized.

Immediately after removing a processed item from the steam sterilizer it must be checked for wet spots, which can occur from condensed steam that has soaked through the sterile package. When packing items for sterilisation, indicator tapes must not be reused after they have gone through a sterilisation cycle, because the turned colour indicator will give the impression that the item is sterile when in fact it is not. Sterility indicator tapes help to ensure that an efficient sterilisation process has been reached by turning a distinctive colour. Steam sterilisation requires specific steam chamber temperatures and appropriate exposure times, and it is in the responsibility of the technical staff to ensure that all these parameters are monitored regularly. For reusable instruments, this is usually achieved by steam sterilisation. Without correctly sterilized instruments, there can be no sterile technique. Sterilisation is defined as a process that removes or destroys all microorganisms. Breaks in sterile technique on the side of the supportive staff can occur with 1) sterilization, 2) setting up and opening the sterile field, 3) scrubbing and drying hands, 4) gowning and gloving, 5) prepping and draping the animal. All sterile equipment and instruments are placed within the sterile field, and all staff members working within the surgical field have to perform a surgical scrub and wear sterile gowns and gloves. This is achieved by the use of sterile instruments placed on sterile fields, which are created by covering the operating table and instrument trolleys with sterile drapes.

The goal of asepsis is to prevent the contamination of the open surgical wound by isolating the operative site from the surrounding nonsterile environment. It is one of the key responsibilities of the technical staff to recognize and correct breaks in sterile technique made in preparation for and during a surgical procedure and to implement methods to prevent future occurrences. In the operating room, the major reason for iatrogenic microbial contamination are breaks in sterile techniques. 2012) and more than 19% in equines (Ruple-Czernjak et al. A few studies have identified a rate of surgical site infections between 3–6% in small animal patients (Eugster et al. Systematic studies in veterinary medicine are rare. In a recent study, it was estimated that health care-associated infections are responsible for about 99,000 deaths each year in US hospitals of which 22% are surgical site infections. In humans, infection associated with the hospital care is one of the top 10 leading causes of death today. Given that the role of the perioperative nurse is paramount in maintaining surgical integrity, and enhancing positive patient outcomes, strict adherence to surgical asepsis is vital to prevent SSIs and other complications.One of the primary responsibilities of the technical team is to prevent iatrogenic infection of a surgical patient. The findings showed areas of compliance and noncompliance with the principles of asepsis.

Perioperative scrub RNs were less likely to wear shoe covers during surgical procedures than ORTs (M = 3.42 and 4.17 mdn = 3.00 and 5.00 respectively p =. The purpose of this study was to examine the practices of perioperative scrub personnel with surgical asepsis.Ī sizable percentage of participants indicated that they never or rarely observe breaches in the sterile field during surgery with regards to open suction drain systems (46.6% n = 41), closed suction drain systems (46.6% n = 41), suture material (39.7% n = 35), use of surgical instruments (37.5% n = 33), and prosthetic implants (56.8% n = 50). Perioperative nurses are expected to demonstrate strict adherence with asepsis principles to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) as breaching of these principles poses a serious risk of infection to surgical patients.Ī descriptive survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 87 perioperative personnel to describe self-reported compliance with the principles of asepsis during surgery.

Four principles of asepsis