Sample times for surveillance of transmission to monitor effectiveness and provide feedback on intraoperative infection control.

Background: Reductions in perioperative surgical site infections are obtained by a multifaceted approach including patient decolonization, vascular care, hand hygiene, and environmental cleaning. Associated surveillance of transmission quantifies the effectiveness of these basic measures to prevent transmission of pathogenic bacteria and viruses to patients and clinicians, including Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To measure transmission, the observational units are pairs of successive surgical cases in the same operating room on the same day. In this prospective cohort study, we measured sampling times for inexperienced and experienced personnel.

Methods: OR PathTrac kits included 6 samples collected before the start of surgery and 7 after surgery. The time for consent also was recorded. We obtained 1677 measurements of time among 132 cases.

Results: Sampling times were not significantly affected by technician's experience, type of anesthetic, or patient's American Society of Anesthesiologists' Physical Status. Sampling times before the start of surgery averaged less than 5 min (3.39 min [SE 0.23], < 0.0001). Sampling times after surgery took approximately 5 min (4.39 [SE 0.25],  = 0.015). Total sampling times averaged less than 10 min without consent (7.79 [SE 0.50], < 0.0001), and approximately 10 min with consent (10.22 [0.56],  = 0.70).

Conclusions: For routine use of monitoring transmission, when done by personnel already present in the operating rooms of the cases, the personnel time budget can be 10 min per case.