Infectious Diseases Expert Comments on Forced Air Warming System Risks

Case Overview

This case involves a popular brand of surgical warming devices that circulate warm air through a detachable plastic blanket to regulate patients’ body temperature during surgical procedures. As a consequence of the way the device operates, air within the operating room is disturbed, causing a convection current that can disrupt the downward laminar flow of air in the room. This convection current can pick up bacteria from the floor, which can then be deposited deep within surgical incisions, leading to serious deep-tissue infections. In addition, it has also been argued the device’s pump and heating unit provide inadequate filtration for air that is moved to the blanket, creating an additional vector for bacterial exposure.

Questions to the Infectious Disease and Communicable Disease expert and their responses

Please briefly describe your experience with hospital-acquired surgical site infections.

I have directed a large healthcare system's infection prevention initiative since 2008, including prevention of surgical site infections. Like all infectious disease specialists, I focus on inpatient/outpatient care, but I have considerable experience performing infection prevention research in operating suites.

After a review of the facts and medical records, can you opine as to the association of the use of the device and an increase in the risk of SSI?

I am actively familiar with the device in question here - it is commonly used for active rewarming in an effort to prevent hypothermia-related infections, so I am curious to review the details of the case to see how it may have contributed to surgical infections.

About the expert

This highly qualified expert specializes in infection control and healthcare-associated infections. She earned both her MPH and MD from Case Western Reserve University, completed a residency in Internal Medicine at University Hospitals of Cleveland and was a Fellow in Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine at the same university hospital system. The expert is a member of several professional organizations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America. She currently serves as the Chair of the Infection Control Committee for a 1,000+ bed hospital system, where she is also an Infectious Diseases Physician. Additionally, this expert is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at a top 25 medical school and actively conducts research on the prevention and treatment of surgical site infections.

E-055125

Specialties:

Infectious Disease and Communicable Disease