[Bacterial contamination of osteosynthesis material. Comparison between a sterile compartment and the conventional operating room].

This study compares two groups of patients who underwent osteosynthetic operations. The operations of one group were performed in an ultrasterile operating cubicle under laminar flow conditions, those of the other group in a conventional operating theatre. The results of smear tests show that not only the number of bacteria in explants, but also the number of postoperative wound infections was considerably lower in the laminar flow group. During a 4-year observation period, the most frequently isolated organism in 392 explants was staphylococcus aureus, in some cases with additional bacteria. Infection was present only in those cases in which bacteria were detected. The age of the patients, the length of time the explants were stored and the composition of the operating team were all insignificant with regard to the bacterial flora of the extracts. Only the level of sterility in the operating theatre (ultrasterile operating cubicle) at the moment of implantation was of recordable importance.