[Surgery in a plastic air-filled chamber. Current possibilities].

The authors have made an assessment of the use of an isolating operation chamber in 137 operations, primarily for the insertion of prostheses the the hip or knee, but also for the shoulder. The isolating chamber can be used equally well for hip, knee, shoulder or other surgery. The unit is made in the form of a plastic balloon, the air inside is sterile. Inflation is maintained by air passed through filters said to give complete sterility. The chamber is fitted with gloves to allow work to be done inside it. It is adherent to the skin of the patient and its wall is incised at the same time as the skin. The result is a very satisfactory isolation of the wound, eliminating faults in aseptic technique but requiring fresh sterilisation for each new procedure. Their assessment has shown that this enclosure can be used without any major problem of adaptation.