Ultraclean surgery in today’s theatre arena

Steve Stott, managing director of Medical Air, discusses the many benefits of ultraclean ventilation systems in the 21st century operating theatre environment, explaining that the development of ever-more advanced and ‘flexibly designed’ UCV canopies has enabled them to be installed in a wide range of theatres, extending the variety of surgeries that can be undertaken, while helping to minimise the risk of surgical site infection.

Until the middle of the 19th century, when Joseph Lister pioneered infection control by introducing antiseptic surgery, many patients survived surgery only to die from post-operative infection – or ‘ward fever’, as it was known. Joseph Lister experimented with handwashing, sterilising instruments, spraying carbolic in the theatre while operating, and covering wounds with dressings soaked with carbolic acid, and infection rates fell dramatically. Fast forward 150 or so years, and although we can now take it for granted that surgery will be performed under aseptic conditions, incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) remains a problem, representing a substantial financial burden on our hospitals, and causing great distress to patients. 

We breathe germs in and out all the time, and they usually do us little or no harm. However, an open wound can present the ideal place for germs to settle and breed, causing infection. The ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopy is a proven and effective way to clean the air in operating theatres, supporting good working practices and theatre design, and dramatically reducing the risk of SSIs. Originally developed in the UK for use during orthopaedic procedures, a UCV canopy is now a common sight in operating theatres. As surgery becomes ever more advanced, the relevance of ultraclean ventilation grows, developing far beyond use purely in the hip replacements for which its pioneering inventor, Professor Sir John Charnley, is famous.