A randomized trial covering 110,538 operations found that adding air filtration and sterilization units to operating rooms did not reduce surgical site infections, postoperative complications, or deaths. The results, published in the journal Anesthesiology and announced Oct. 20 by UTHealth Houston, cast doubt on a technology some hospitals have considered adding to their surgical suites.
For patients, the finding shifts attention from the air in the room to the wound itself. Surgical site infections develop in the skin, tissue, organs, or implanted material involved in an operation. About 1% to 3% of surgical patients develop one, with higher rates after procedures such as colorectal surgery, according to the UTHealth Houston announcement. Citing CDC data, the release says these infections remain a leading cause of illness, death and hospital readmission after surgery.
