We are all having the fortune of getting older – life expectancy has doubled between 1950 and 2017. But with increasing age, the risk of disease and injury grows, and therefore so does the number of surgeries any of us might experience. Unfortunately, surgical site infections (SSI) are currently the second most common cause of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in Europe. With effective measures in the pre-, intra- and postoperative phase, patients can be better protected from SSI. The graphic on page 3 shows a selection of interventions recommended by the Robert Koch Institute, Germany. We invite you to learn more about preventing SSI in this issue of review.
Before performing surgery, establishing hygiene guidelines and choosing the right surgical scrubs for the personnel transfer area are important steps in reducing the incidence of SSI. In our first article, you will read more about the bacteria found on surgical scrubs and the advantages of disposable scrubs to prevent SSI.
Sterile materials are also the topic of the next story in this review, “Disposable draping materials: Reducing the contamination of surgical wounds.” What kind of surgical drapes do you use in your OR? Find relevant studies and more information on page 8. It is because of curious and ambitious experts, researchers and scientists that our understanding of infection prevention is constantly growing – as is product safety.
In our third story, you will meet Dr Juergen Gebel, who established a European standard for testing the effectiveness of ready-to-use wipes systems and wipe dispenser systems – his contribution to keeping patients safer.
LR hip Review 3 en - (735 KB)
