The efficacy of adhesive plastic incise drapes in preventing wound contamination.

A direct method of tracing the bacterial indicators (Human Albumin Microspheres) for evaluation of adhesive plastic incision drapes was used. The particles were sprayed on the prepared skin beneath the plastic incision drape in 30 operations. At the end of the operation, wound irrigates were collected for retrieval of the particles. No particles could be detected in any of the procedures studied. It was shown that, when a plastic incise drape is properly applied, it conforms to the skin and no air bubbles or pockets of fluid will form beneath or around the incised edge of the drape. It will remain tightly adherent to the skin throughout the operative procedure. Used in this manner, plastic incise drapes can aid in preventing the migration of skin microbes into the surgical wound as was demonstrated by the complete absence of simulated bacterial indicators in all 30 of the wound irrigates that were examined.