Effect of mobile laminar airflow units on airborne bacterial contamination during neurosurgical procedures

Surgical site infections (SSIs) after neurosurgery are potentially life-threatening and entail great costs. SSIs may occur from airborne bacteria in the operating room, and ultraclean air is desired during infection-prone cleaning procedures. Door openings and the number of persons present in the operating room affect the air quality. Mobile laminar airflow (MLAF) units, with horizontal laminar airflow, have previously been shown to reduce airborne bacterial contamination. To assess the effect of MLAF units on airborne bacterial contamination during neurosurgical procedures. In a quasi-experimental design, bacteria-carrying particles (colony-forming units: cfu) during neurosurgical procedures were measured with active air-sampling in operating rooms with conventional turbulent ventilation, and with additional MLAF units. The MLAF units were shifted between operating rooms monthly. Colony-forming unit count and bacterial species detection were conducted after incubation. Data was collected for a period of 18 months. A total of 233 samples were collected during 45 neurosurgical procedures. The use of MLAF units significantly reduced the numbers of cfu in the surgical site area (P