Prevalence of Air Contamination in the Operating Theatre of Port Bouët, Abidjan

Abstract

Introduction : Today, the challenge of combating surgical site infections has led to the adoption of a range of measures, of which the prevention of aerobiocontamination remains a determining factor. This is what justifies the scope of the present study, either to determine the level of particulate concentration of the ambient air in the operating theatre compared with the admissible threshold of the ISO 14644-1 normative standards. Objective : To assess the level of aerobiocontamination in operating theatres and identify the associated germs. Methods : The prospective study consisted of particulate air sampling using a biocollector, followed by conventional culture and particle counting, giving rise to one colony per cubic metre ( C.F.U./m 3 ). The samples taken covered the pre-operative, intraoperative and post-operative phases in the presence of various classes of surgery (clean, contaminated and dirty). Results : The results revealed a higher level of contamination during surgical activities of 410 ± 145 C.F.U./m 3 followed by post-operative sampling 352 ± 131 C.F.U./m 3 and finally pre-operative sampling 290 ± 135 C.F.U./m 3 . In general, aerobiocontamination was high compared with the permissible contamination threshold of 293 C.F.U./m 3 . Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that the risk of aerobiocontamination is increased by activity. The expression of this risk is essentially a function of the time factor and the nature of the surgery. However, preoperative precautions and compliance with decontamination kinetics between procedures, which are necessary for particle sedimentation, remain sound safety principles to be observed.