A microbiologist's view of commissioning operating theatres.

We report our experiences of microbiological testing of operating theatres over a 10-year period. Major faults within the theatres can be detected by microbiological monitoring of air flow direction and the bioload in theatre air. We advocate that there should be a close cooperation between the microbiologist and the hospital engineering department for effective monitoring of theatre commissioning and upgrading. Also we recommend that contract work should be closely supervised particularly with respect to theatre ventilation systems.