How to Manage Intraoperative Contamination

(1)Maintain a low threshold to reprocess contaminated equipment completely and take the most conservative actions possible if contamination occurs before incision.(2)Contamination after an incision requires careful evaluation of risks and benefits; it may be necessary to perform flash sterilization of critical equipment or decontamination of vital grafts with povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine.(3)Detection of defects in sterile drapes and gloves is limited, so extra vigilance is necessary.(4)Bio debris in orthopaedic instrumentation is common and poses a risk of contaminating the sterile field and increasing the chance of infection.(5)If pests are found in the OR, culture the insect and assess the OR infrastructure to determine the source of pest entry.