TY - JOUR
T1 - Is there a risk for bacterial transmission from surgical marker pens?
AU - Brinskelle, Petra
AU - König, Elisabeth
AU - Sendlhofer, Gerald
AU - Baumhackl, Kathrin Annemarie
AU - Winter, Raimund
AU - Sawetz, Isabelle
AU - Kamolz, Lars-Peter
AU - Steinmetz, Ivo
AU - Friedl, Herwig
AU - Lumenta, David Benjamin
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - Markers for preoperative skin marking are used several times and bear a risk of transmitting bacteria. Bacterial contamination was assessed by sonication and culture. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed for facultative pathogens to assess multi-drug resistance (MDR). An accelerated failure time model was applied to assess the statistical relationship between the bacterial contamination and the filling status of markers. Of 45 markers, 13 had a colony count <10 cfu/mL and 32 had counts from 10 to 12,500 cfu/mL. Three markers were colonized by Staphylococcus aureus. No MDR bacteria were found. We recommend single use of markers to reduce transmission risk.
AB - Markers for preoperative skin marking are used several times and bear a risk of transmitting bacteria. Bacterial contamination was assessed by sonication and culture. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed for facultative pathogens to assess multi-drug resistance (MDR). An accelerated failure time model was applied to assess the statistical relationship between the bacterial contamination and the filling status of markers. Of 45 markers, 13 had a colony count <10 cfu/mL and 32 had counts from 10 to 12,500 cfu/mL. Three markers were colonized by Staphylococcus aureus. No MDR bacteria were found. We recommend single use of markers to reduce transmission risk.
KW - Bacterial contamination
KW - Colonization
KW - Markers
KW - Multi-drug resistance
KW - Sonication
KW - Surgical site identification
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089906847&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.08.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.08.003
M3 - Article
SN - 1532-2939
VL - 106
SP - 254
EP - 257
JO - The Journal of Hospital Infection
JF - The Journal of Hospital Infection
IS - 2
ER -