Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control-Online Journal

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Article in Japanese

Bacterial Contamination of Electric Scalpel during Intestinal Surgery by Laparotomy

Norihiro KAMEDA, Junko NISHIO, Toshiko OGAWA and Shinobu OKADA
Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University

Background: Bacterial contamination of surgical instruments has been suggested to increase the risk of surgical site infection (SSI). In addition, since there are many opportunities to use electric scalpels, there is a high possibility of bacterial contamination compared with other surgical instruments.
Methods: We examined electric scalpels used in surgical operations for bacterial contamination. Target surgeries included hepatectomy (BILI-O), pancreatic surgery (BILI-PD), colon surgery (COLO), and rectal surgery (REC). Bacterial isolates were identified biochemically or by mass spectrometry.
Results: We isolated 147 colonies from electric scalpels used in 30 of 31 (96.8%) intestinal surgeries. Bacteria considered to originate from the skin, such as coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus [45 (30.6%) and 6 (4.1%) isolates, respectively], and from the intestinal tract, such as Bacillus spp., Enterococcus spp., and Escherichia coli [23 (15.6%), 20 (13.6%), and 5 (3.4%) isolates, respectively], were isolated. In 4 of 31 cases (12.9%), incisional SSI occurred, and in 3 cases (75%) the bacteria detected from the electric scalpels and the causative bacteria of the incisional SSI were consistent. The causative bacteria were Enterococcus faecalis, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and others.
Conclusions: Electric scalpels were contaminated not only with skin-derived bacteria but also with intestine-derived bacteria. Some instruments were heavily contaminated, and their use for wound closure might also contaminate the surgical site, thereby increasing the probability of incisional SSI.

Key words：surgical site infections, intestinal surgery, surgical instruments, bacterial contamination

e-mail: norihiro0430＠chiba-u.jp

Received: July 3, 2018
Accepted: November 22, 2018

34 (2)：88─94,2019