OBJECTIVE: To investigate the amount of bacterial dispersal associated with speech in a simulated intravitreous injection. METHODS: Fifteen volunteers were recruited. Each volunteer was positioned over an open blood agar plate and did the following: read a 5-minute script with a face mask, read a 5-minute script without a face mask, read a 5-minute script with the face turned away from the plate without a face mask, and stood in silence for 5 minutes. Each volunteer then read a 5-minute script while reclined in a standard ophthalmic examination chair with an open blood agar plate secured to the forehead to simulate bacterial dispersal associated with a talking patient. Total numbers of colony-forming bacteria per plate were counted, and the bacteria were identified. RESULTS: Significantly less bacterial growth occurred in the face mask and silence conditions compared with the no face mask condition (both P < .001). Bacterial growth was significantly greater in the reclined condition compared with the room control (P = .02). Oral streptococcal species represented 66.7% to 82.6% of bacterial colonies in the no face mask, face turned, and reclined conditions. CONCLUSIONS: During simulated intravitreous injection, wearing a face mask or remaining silent significantly decreases culture plate contamination from talking. Talking from above and talking in the reclined position were associated with a significant increase in culture plate contamination. Physicians performing intravitreous injections should be aware of these patterns of bacterial contamination, should consider either wearing a face mask or minimizing speech, and should encourage patients to minimize speech during the procedure.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the amount of bacterial dispersal associated with speech in a simulated intravitreous injection. METHODS: Fifteen volunteers were recruited. Each volunteer was positioned over an open blood agar plate and did the following: read a 5-minute script with a face mask, read a 5-minute script without a face mask, read a 5-minute script with the face turned away from the plate without a face mask, and stood in silence for 5 minutes. Each volunteer then read a 5-minute script while reclined in a standard ophthalmic examination chair with an open blood agar plate secured to the forehead to simulate bacterial dispersal associated with a talking patient. Total numbers of colony-forming bacteria per plate were counted, and the bacteria were identified. RESULTS: Significantly less bacterial growth occurred in the face mask and silence conditions compared with the no face mask condition (both P < .001). Bacterial growth was significantly greater in the reclined condition compared with the room control (P = .02). Oral streptococcal species represented 66.7% to 82.6% of bacterial colonies in the no face mask, face turned, and reclined conditions. CONCLUSIONS: During simulated intravitreous injection, wearing a face mask or remaining silent significantly decreases culture plate contamination from talking. Talking from above and talking in the reclined position were associated with a significant increase in culture plate contamination. Physicians performing intravitreous injections should be aware of these patterns of bacterial contamination, should consider either wearing a face mask or minimizing speech, and should encourage patients to minimize speech during the procedure.
Authors: Rahul Chaturvedi; Kendall W Wannamaker; Paul J Riviere; Arshad M Khanani; Charles C Wykoff; Daniel L Chao Journal: Ophthalmol Retina Date: 2019-04-04
Authors: Joseph M Simonett; Austin Igelman; Stanford C Taylor; J Peter Campbell; Thomas S Hwang; Phoebe Lin; Andreas K Lauer; Christina J Flaxel Journal: Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina Date: 2019-01-01 Impact factor: 1.300