Adhesive Tape Cross-Contamination in the Operating Room
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2024-02-17
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The use of adhesive tape in the operating room serves multiple purposes for the anesthesia provider. Most importantly, is its use in securing the patient's airway, specifically the endotracheal tube. There are a lack of policies and procedures to prevent the cross-contamination of adhesive tape rolls during those critical moments, leading to the tape's exposure to bodily fluids and blood. The inability to properly clean and sterilize tape makes it a reservoir for pathogens and blood to spread, placing patients at risk during airway securement. The primary aim of this scholarly project was to reveal the need to initiate cleaner handling and storage of tape rolls, as evidenced by the presence of bacteria and blood on tape utilized for securing the endotracheal tube in the operating room. To support this innovation, a data compilation was performed after collecting samples of three different types of adhesive tape used by anesthesia providers in the operating room, along with a control group of packaged, clean tape. A total of 33 samples were obtained from ten different operating rooms in a large hospital located in the Southeastern United States. Furthermore, P levels <0.05 were considered significant, which demonstrated the need for cleaner practices of tape storage and utilization to ensure patient safety and protection against nosocomial infections.
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