Overview
Aseptic technique is the method adopted to eliminate all potential sources of contamination of the surgical field. Adopting high standards of asepsis will reduce the risk of post-surgical wound infections developing. This is important for both animal welfare and scientific reasons.
Wound infections can cause pain, distress, and if severe can result in the
Adopting good aseptic technique requires careful attention to the preparation of the operating room environment, the animal, the surgeon, and all materials that will come into contact with the surgical field. The video sequence below from www.procedureswithcare.org.uk demonstrates all of these aspects of preparing and undertaking aseptic surgery.
Aseptic Technique Tutorial (17m33s)
A key first step in carrying out aseptic procedures is to minimise all potential sources of infection: the surgical team; the animal; the instruments and equipment and the surgical facilities and the atmosphere. The table below summarises the means of achieving this.
Table: Summary of means of preparing for aseptic surgery| Methods available | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| Surgical personnel | Wear appropriate clothing (hat, mask etc), perform surgical scrub, wear sterile gown and gloves | The value of an assistant cannot be over-estimated, enabling the surgeon to undertake aseptic technique without the need to handle non-sterile items. |
| Animal | Area of fur over surgical site clipped, skin disinfected with appropriate antiseptic | Shaving also makes it easier to make an accurate skin incision |
| Equipment in contact with the surgical field: | ||
| Instruments | Cleaned to remove gross debris manually or in ultrasonic cleaner, dried, packed into surgical kit and autoclaved, irradiated, ethylene oxide treatment, (boiling) | Manual cleaning involves a scrub in cold disinfectant solution (e.g. Savlon) and a rinse in hot water. |
| Boiling is a method of disinfection, but not sterilization | ||
| Suture materials | Purchased pre-packed and sterile | Check use-by date |
| Swabs, drapes | Packed and autoclaved, or purchased pre-sterilised | Can be packed alone or in with the surgical kit |
| Catheters | Irradiated before purchase pre-packaged and sterile, re-sterilizing e.g. ethylene oxide, irradiation | If re-used must be free of any organic debris before sterilization |
| Gowns | Packed and autoclaved or purchased pre-packed and sterile | Need to be folded carefully when packing to avoid contamination of outer surfaces when opening the pack after sterilisation |
| Gloves | Irradiated before purchase, supplied pre-packaged and sterile | |
| Facilities and other equipment (e.g., operating table) | The operating area should be clean, flat surfaces wiped with disinfectant | Includes walls, fixtures and fittings |
| Atmosphere | To reduce dust and airborne particles | Difficult to control this source of contamination, dust and airborne particles bring bacteria with them |
| -Keep fixtures and fitting in a room to a minimum | ||
| -Filter air before it enters the operating room | ||
| -Keep human traffic in and out of the room to a minimum to reduce stirring up of dust | ||
| -Have a suite of rooms for procedures so the operating room is used solely for operations | ||