Cardiac surgical theatre traffic: time for traffic calming measures?

Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a significant cause of postoperative complications. The risk of death from a medical error in a UK hospital remains one in 300. Increased theatre traffic has been identified as a modifiable determinant of SSI and surgical error. This cross-sectional study for the first time describes the pattern of theatre traffic in a UK cardiac centre. An electronic door counter and galaxy theatre management software (v3.4, iSOFT Banbury, UK) were used to calculate frequencies and rates of door opening during operations. Forty-six cases were analysed with 4273 door openings recorded. The median age of patients was 65 (range 43-75) with a median EuroSCORE of 5 (1-14). The mean frequency of door openings per case was 92.9 (45-205), with 19.2 (6.4-38.2) openings per hour. The theatre door was open for 10.7% of each hour of operating. Prolonged, acute and cases involving patients with higher EuroSCOREs demonstrated a trend towards increased opening. Door opening disturbs theatre airflow and results in increased air and wound contamination. It is also described as a contributor to surgical mistakes. Current levels of traffic are unacceptably high and represent a modifiable risk factor for SSI and error.