Effect of stringent OR attire policies on SSIs

Editor's Note

Implementation of stringent OR attire policies that included full coverage of ears and facial hair did not reduce surgical site infection (SSI) risks in this study.

Researchers compared American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data of all patients undergoing surgical procedures 9 months before implementation (3,077 patients) with surgical patients after implementation (3,440 patients).

There were more SSIs after implementation than before (33 vs 30), and there were no differences in length of stay, complications, or mortality between the two groups. Multivariate analysis showed that implementation of stringent OR policies was not associated with decreased SSIs. The biggest predictors of SSIs were preoperative infection, operative time, open wounds, and dirty/contaminated wounds.

To date, no studies have provided any evidence that hat style increases SSI risk, that hair covering prevents SSIs, or that stricter regulations in OR attire results in a decrease in SSIs, the authors say.