Held Michael, Mignemi Megan, O'Rear Lynda, Wise Michelle, Zane Gabriella, Murphy Zane M Siobhan, Schoenecker Jonathan G
*Vanderbilt Orthopedic Institute, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, Nashville, TN †Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO.
J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Dec;35(8):e110-2. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000000468.
Despite hand washing and other protocols surgical-site infections (SSIs) have not been eliminated. This implies that either current measures are not effective or there are alternative sources of bacterial exposure to the surgical wound. In this study we tested the hypothesis that stuffed animals or other items allowed to accompany pediatric patients to the operating room as a way to ease anxiety may represent a reservoir of bacteria.
Stuffed animals brought into the operating room and stuffed animals that were washed and dried in a conventional washer/dryer and placed in clean sealable plastic bags were swabbed and bacterial colonies were quantified. Results were reported as no growth, light growth, moderate growth, and heavy growth.
All stuffed animals showed bacterial growth. A total of 79% of stuffed animals were effectively "sterilized" by a single wash and dry cycle in a conventional home washer/dryer. Sterilized stuffed animals remained sterile after being packed in a sealed bag for 24 hours.
These results indicate that items of comfort, such as stuffed animals, brought into the operating room with a benevolent purpose may represent a reservoir of bacteria that could lead to unwanted SSI. Washing an item of comfort 1 day before surgery effectively sterilizes that item of comfort. Future studies will be needed to determine a correlation between "culture positive" stuffed animals and SSI or if providing a child with a "sterile" stuffed animal reduces SSI.
尽管采取了洗手及其他措施，手术部位感染（SSI）仍未消除。这意味着要么当前措施无效，要么存在手术伤口细菌暴露的其他来源。在本研究中，我们检验了这样一个假设：作为缓解焦虑的一种方式而允许陪伴儿科患者进入手术室的填充动物玩具或其他物品可能是细菌的储存源。
对带入手术室的填充动物玩具以及在传统洗衣机/烘干机中清洗并烘干后放入干净可密封塑料袋中的填充动物玩具进行擦拭，并对细菌菌落进行定量。结果报告为无生长、轻度生长、中度生长和重度生长。
所有填充动物玩具均显示有细菌生长。在传统家用洗衣机/烘干机中经过单次洗涤和干燥循环后，79%的填充动物玩具被有效“消毒”。消毒后的填充动物玩具在装入密封袋24小时后仍保持无菌状态。
这些结果表明，出于善意带入手术室的安慰物品，如填充动物玩具，可能是导致不必要的手术部位感染的细菌储存源。在手术前一天清洗安慰物品可有效对其进行消毒。未来需要开展研究以确定“培养阳性”的填充动物玩具与手术部位感染之间的相关性，或者为儿童提供“无菌”填充动物玩具是否能降低手术部位感染的发生率。
