Effect of orthopedic anti-splash visual shield on prevention of infection in joint replacement surgery

OBJECTIVE To investigate the application effect of anti-splash visual protective cover in infection control of joint replacement surgery, and to provide reference for improving the quality of infection control in the operating room. METHODS A total of 850 patients who underwent joint replacement surgery in China-japan Friendship Hospital of Jilin University from Jul 2018 to Jun 2019 were recruited as the research subjects. They were divided into the experimental group and control group by using random number table method, with 425 patients in each group. The two groups of patients were under the same management of operating room, supply room, ward management and surgical team, except the application of the anti-splash visual protective cover device in the experimental group but not in the control group. The effect of infection control（the number of bacteria in the operating room at different times, the incidence of postoperative periprosthetic infection and the qualified rate of product culture） and patient satisfaction were compared between the two groups.RESULTS The number of bacteria in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group 60 minutes after the operation（28.13±1.96 CFU/m³ vs. 269.52±8.57 CFU/m³） and at the end of the operation（36.45±7.52 CFU/m³ vs. 284.35±11.72 CFU/m³）（P＜0.05）. No peri-prosthesis infection was observed in the experimental group after operation, while 6 cases of peri-prosthesis infection occurred in the control group, with the infection rate of 1.41%. The incidence of periprosthetic infection in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group（χ²=4.196, P=0.041）. The satisfaction in the experimental group（409 cases, 96.24%） was significantly higher than that in the control group（390 cases, 91.76%）（P＜0.05）. CONCLUSION The use of anti-splash visual protective cover in joint replacement surgery can effectively improve the air quality in the operating room, prevent postoperative infection around the prosthesis and improve the qualified rate of objects′ surface and sterilization, improving patients′ satisfaction and the quality of nursing in the operating room, which is worth of clinical reference.