Surface and air cleanliness in operating theatre environments

In this paper, airborne particles and microbiological hygiene are reported from a hospital hygiene study. The surface hygiene was monitored on operating theatre equipment, instruments and other adjacent surfaces as well as protective clothing and shoes. The study was performed from June until December 2010 in four Finnish operating theatres. The information obtained will be used in the development of a comprehensive package for hygiene assessment in both operating theatres and other hospital environments.