Contamination of drugs during administration for anesthesia

Anesthesiologists’ aseptic technique when preparing and administering bolus injections of drugs has not been extensively investigated. Their technique may sometimes be deficient and could to lead to surgical site and other postoperative infections.

This study from New Zealand examines the extent to which microorganisms are injected by anesthesiologists in the process of drawing up and administering boluses of intravenous drugs during clinical practice.

The study included 23 anesthesiologists, each anesthetizing up to 25 patients. The anesthesiologists were asked to inject all bolus drugs, except propofol and antibiotics, through a 0.2-µm filter unit.

The researchers isolated microorganisms from filter units in 19 (6.3%) of 300 cases. They also collected used syringes at the end of each case and grew microorganisms from residual drugs in 55 (2.4%) of 2,318 syringes.

The researchers concluded that microorganisms with the potential to cause infections are being injected into patients during administration of drugs by anesthesiologists during surgical procedures.

The relevance of these findings to postoperative infections warrants further investigation, the researchers note.

−Gargiulo D A, Mitchell S J, Sheridan J, et al. Microbiological contamination of drugs during their administration for anesthesia in the operating room. Anesthesiology. 2016;124:785-794.

http://anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.org/article.aspx?articleID=2491392