Aseptic transgressions among surgeons and anesthesiologists: a quantitative study

S. Crow and V. W. Greene

The extent of compliance with 44 specific aseptic precautions by 18 surgeons and ten anesthesiologists was recorded during a series of 36 clean herniorrhaphies. Anesthesiologists as a group had an aseptic infraction rate nearly twice that of the surgeons, but a relatively small number in each group was responsible for most of the transgressions observed. The most frequent aseptic breaks involved scrubbing techniques (32.4% infraction rate) followed by dress and preparation breaks (12.9% infraction rate). Once physicians were inside the operating room and working, the infraction rate dropped considerably. The number of clinical wound infections observed (two) was too small to draw any conclusions about the association between asepsis and infection.