Does intra-operative humidification with warmed CO reduce surgical site infection in open colorectal surgery? A randomized control trial.

Backgrounds: Surgical site infections (SSI) are a significant cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality, contributing to a considerable financial burden on the healthcare system. Insufflation of the open surgical wound with warm, humidified carbon dioxide (CO ) is a novel measure aimed to reduce SSI. The local atmosphere of warm, humidified CO within the open surgical wound is proposed to decrease airborne contamination, bacterial growth, desiccation, and heat loss while improving tissue oxygenation and perfusion.