ABSTRACT
STUDY DESIGN: This study retrospectively compared infection rates between adult patients after posterior spinal instrumentation procedures performed in a conventional versus an ultraclean air operating room. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the use of ultraclean air technology could decrease the infection rate after posterior spinal arthrodesis with instrumentation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Postoperative wound infection after posterior arthrodesis remains a feared complication in spinal surgery. Although this frequent complication results in a significant problem, the employment of ultraclean air technology, as it is commonly used for arthroplasty, has not been reported as a possible alternative to reduce the infection rate after complex spine surgery. METHODS: One hundred seventy-nine patients having posterior spinal fusion with instrumentation were divided into 2 groups: group I included 139 patients operated in a conventional operating room, and group II included 40 patients operated in a vertical laminar flow operating room. Patient selection was performed favoring ultraclean air technology for elective cases in which high infection risk was considered. A statistical analysis of the infection rate and its associated risk factors between both groups was assessed. RESULTS: We observed 18 wound infections in group I and 0 in group II. Comparison of infection rates using the chi-squared test showed a statistically significant difference (P <0.017). CONCLUSION: The use of ultraclean air technology reduced the infection rate after complex spinal procedures and appears to be an interesting alternative that still needs to be prospectively studied with a randomized protocol.
