Contamination of the surgical field in head and neck oncologic surgery

摘要

Background. The purpose of this study was to determine the timing and type of surgical field contamination in 50 consecutive resections for advanced head and neck cancer with same-stage tissue reconstruction and to analyze the relationship between contamination and the surgical site infection. Methods. Swabs from the surgical field and from surgical drapes close to the field were taken every 2 hours (at 0 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, and 6 hours) and sent for a standard microbiological diagnostic procedure. Results were recorded in Microsoft Excel and analyzed with SPSS. Results. We collected 336 swabs of which 71% were contaminated. Polymicrobial contamination was observed in 153 samples (45%). Twentysix species of pathogens were found, the most frequent was Streptococcus species. Surgical site infection with positive culture occurred in 3 patients. Conclusion. In head and neck surgery for advanced cancer, standard aseptic procedures do not prevent contamination of the surgical field with physiological bacterial flora of the skin and oral cavity. Although contamination was common, surgical site infection was rare.