Sterile Surgical Helmet System (SSHS) are used routinely in hip and knee arthroplasty in order to decrease the risk of infection. It protects surgeon from splash and also prevents contamination of surgical field from reverse splash by virtue of its perceived sterility. A prospective study was conducted to confirm if SSHS remain sterile throughout the procedure in Hip (THA) and Knee (TKA) Arthroplasty. We also evaluated if type of theatre had any effect on degree of contamination. Visor area of 40 SSHS was swabbed at half hourly interval until the end of the procedure. Two groups of 20 each were made on the basis of theatre used for performing surgery. Group 1 (Gp1) had surgery performed in laminar flow and Group 2 (Gp2) in non-laminar flow theatre. Swabs collected were processed to compare the time dependent contamination of the SSHS and identify the organisms responsible for contamination.Background
Material and Methods
