OBJECTIVE To establish infection control standards and management practices in the barn-integrated operating rooms for thoracic surgery, and conduct preliminary verification, and to provide a scientific basis for the barn integrated operating rooms for thoracic surgery.

METHODS This study employed a literature research method to systematically retrieve relevant information from a database system from Feb. 2013 to Feb. 2023, and construct the initial draft of infection control standards and management practices for the barn integrated operating rooms in thoracic surgery. To ensure the scientificity and practicality of the standards, the research team held two rounds of expert meetings in Mar. 2023 and invited 13 experts to finalize the draft. Subsequently, from Apr. 2023 to Mar. 2024, a preliminary application trial was conducted at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital: 100 patients undergoing surgery in the barn integrated operating rooms were randomly selected as the study group, and 100 patients undergoing surgery in the conventional operating rooms were selected as the control group. The effect of the study was evaluated by comparing indicators such as postoperative thoracic hemorrhage, postoperative infection, postoperative pulmonary complications, intraoperative blood loss, duration of postoperative antibiotic use and patient satisfaction.

RESULTS After two rounds of expert meetings, the finalized draft covered four aspects: environmental management, personnel management, material and equipment management and hygiene monitoring management, with a total of 26 specific measures proposed. After the initial application of the draft, there were no significant differences in postoperative indicators and patient satisfaction between the two groups of patients. The air culture results of both operating rooms met the standards each month, but the average turnover time in the barn integrated operating rooms (15.76±9.18 min) was shorter than in the conventional operating rooms (29.02±10.13 min) (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION The infection control standards and management practices established in this study are scientific, feasible and practical, providing a solid theoretical basis and practical guidance for infection control in the barn integrated operating rooms and effectively optimizing the operating room process.