Introduction

In our pursuit of cleanliness, superficial efforts may not be enough to combat hidden microbial and bacterial dangers. Deep cleaning is essential to ensure effective hygiene, whether in daily life or hospital settings, where the significance of infection control cannot be underestimated.

The Prevalence of Hospital Infections

Hospital infections are a concerning reality, with 4.5% of hospitalized patients in the US affected annually. Surpassing the combined death toll of AIDS, breast cancer, and car accidents, hospital infections elevate mortality rates by 10.1%, prolong average hospital stays by 14.9 days, and incur an additional $50,000 per patient in medical expenses.

Reported Cases of Infections

In recent years, several infection incidents have been reported in China, including the 2017 HIV infection outbreak among patients in a Zhejiang hospital, the 2019 neonatal infection incident in a Guangdong hospital, and hepatitis C infections in a hospital in Jiangsu’s Dongtai city. Additionally, the ongoing pandemic has led to nosocomial COVID-19 infections in multiple hospitals.

The Alarm for Infection Prevention and Control

Infection prevention and control measures are crucial in hospitals. They function like dams and defensive lines, protecting the normal functioning of medical services. The operating room is a key area for infection control, requiring adherence to national and hospital infection management standards. Surgical staff, anesthesiologists, nurses, and cleaning personnel play vital roles in ensuring infection control becomes a habitual practice through continuous legal and regulatory education.

Existing Research on Anesthesia Department Infection Control

Studies have explored infection-related concerns in the anesthesia department. Research on anesthesia machine circuit contamination revealed high levels of pollution, with 34.7% of anesthesia machines carrying bacteria upon import, and 27.3% showing contamination during export. After proper disinfection, bacterial counts decreased by an average of 94.3%, significantly improving disinfection effectiveness.

Weaknesses in Anesthesia Department Infection Control

The anesthesia department faces challenges in infection control due to various factors:

• • Lack of relevant evaluation indicators for hospital infection incidence
  • Insufficient supervisory efforts from functional departments
  • Inadequate requirements for anesthesia department infection control in management guidelines
  • Staff unfamiliarity with hospital infection management systems
  • Misunderstanding of the relevance between anesthesia departments and hospital infections, often leading to complacency
  • Late establishment of anesthesia department nursing units

Vulnerable Areas and Current Status of Anesthesia Department Infection Control

Critical areas needing improvement in the anesthesia department include hand hygiene practices, aseptic techniques, occupational exposure, and standard precautions. Proper hand hygiene is a fundamental requirement, and compliance must be monitored and ensured. Sterile procedures must be followed strictly, with attention to handling sterile and contaminated items appropriately. Furthermore, the cleanliness and disinfection of anesthesia machines are of paramount importance.

Risk Factors for Anesthesia Department Hospital Infections

Several risk factors contribute to hospital infections in the anesthesia department:

• • Inadequate awareness of infection prevention and control
  • Repeated use of tracheal tubes and laryngoscope blades
  • Non-adherence to aseptic techniques during anesthesia-related procedures
  • Low awareness of personal protective measures among medical staff
  • Inadequate disinfection of medical equipment
  • Improper handling of medical waste
  • Lack of use of filters in tracheal tubes
  • Inadequate soda lime replacement

Insufficient Knowledge of Hospital Infections

The lack of knowledge regarding standard precautions is a significant issue:

• • Inadequate compliance with wearing gloves, surgical masks, protective eyewear, and isolation gowns during invasive procedures
  • Failure to observe contact and droplet precautions
  • Incorrect disinfection practices for reusable equipment, such as laryngoscope blades
  • Insufficient compliance with using sterile drapes for intubation and proper labeling of anesthesia drugs

Hand Hygiene and Standard Precautions

Hand hygiene is crucial and encompasses washing, hygiene hand disinfection, and surgical hand disinfection. Specific hand hygiene indications include “three before” and “four after.” Adhering to these practices can significantly reduce infection risks.

Strengthening Infection Control Management in the Anesthesia Department

Establishing comprehensive rules, regulations, and workflows is essential for infection control management in the anesthesia department. This includes a hand hygiene system, disinfection and isolation protocols, sterile operation techniques, and continuous education, inspections, and supervision.

Specific Infection Control Details

1. 1. Strict Adherence to Hand Hygiene

• • Aseptic procedures require surgical hand disinfection
  • Non-invasive procedures require washing followed by hygiene hand disinfection
  • Hand hygiene should be performed promptly after contamination

1. 2. Strict Observance of Aseptic Techniques

• • Keep sterile, clean, and contaminated items separated
  • Opened sterile items should not be placed in non-sterile areas
  • Invasive procedures or contact with patient mucous membranes or damaged skin necessitate the use of sterile gloves
  • Avoid hand contact with the front end of laryngoscope blades or tracheal tubes

1. 3. Disposable Items: One Use for One Person
   4. Reusable Items

• • Proper cleaning, disinfection, drying, and storage of reusable laryngoscope blades as per guidelines
  • One use for one person ensures that bioburden requirements are met

1. 5. Surface Cleaning of Items

• • Daily wet cleaning or 75% alcohol wipe-down of blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, temperature probes, anesthesia machines, monitoring equipment, workstations, and medical area computer keyboards, using protective film where necessary

1. 6. Disinfection of Anesthesia Machine Circuits

• • Implementing proper disinfection measures for anesthesia machine circuits, either through chemical soaking or utilizing specialized disinfection equipment like ozone disinfection or alcohol-chlorhexidine aerosol

Conclusion

Hospital infections present a significant threat to patient safety, but effective infection control can mitigate these risks. Strengthening infection control management in the anesthesia department is vital for reducing the incidence of hospital infections and enhancing patient outcomes. Emphasizing proper hand hygiene, aseptic techniques, and surface disinfection, alongside educating healthcare staff, will protect patients and optimize healthcare services.