None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Background: Infection in orthopaedic surgery can be catastrophic. Increased perspiration from theatre staff has been associated with higher rates of wound contamination. Wearing lead safety gowns, which is often done during surgery to allow the use of image intensifier, may result in heavy perspiration. Aim: We aimed to determine feasibility of wearing a neck cooling device during surgery and whether it reduced surgeons’ perspiration levels and decreased the negative impact on surgeons’ comfort levels during orthopaedic procedures requiring the use of lead gowns. Method: A pilot randomised control trial was conducted. Surgeons were randomised to either wearing the neck cooling device (intervention) or not wearing the device (control). Procedure duration, theatre temperature, humidity and perceived technical difficulty of operation were recorded. After the procedure, surgeons completed a questionnaire documenting how the temperature and humidity had a negative effect on their comfort and perceived level of perspiration. Multilevel mixed effects linear regression with random effects, adjusting for potential confounders was performed.
Interventions
Intervention is a simple reusable neck cooler, to be worn by surgeons and surgical assistants . The neck cooler is applied prior to donning lead gowns in orthopaedic trauma surgery, and worn for the duration of the operation. Device used is Arctic Heat Neck Wrap, more information available here: http://www.arcticheat.com.au/product/neck-wrap/
Neck coolers were kept in theatre refrigerators at four degrees Celsius for a minimum of four hours prior to use. After use they were rinsed in tap water,
Intervention is a simple reusable neck cooler, to be worn by surgeons and surgical assistants . The neck cooler is applied prior to donning lead gowns in orthopaedic trauma surgery, and worn for the duration of the operation. Device used is Arctic Heat Neck Wrap, more information available here: http://www.arcticheat.com.au/product/neck-wrap/ Neck coolers were kept in theatre refrigerators at four degrees Celsius for a minimum of four hours prior to use. After use they were rinsed in tap water, dried with paper towel, and placed back in the refrigerator. The researcher is present to ensure correct application of the neck cooler and provides the surgeon and surgical assistant a questionnaire to fill out at the end of the operation.
Sponsors
Dr Adam Wertheimer
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Surgeons and surgical assistants at the study site who scrub into operations meeting the below clinical criteria: Orthopaedic pathology requiring Image Intensifier use in surgery.
Exclusion criteria
Refusal of participation by either surgeon or surgical assistant, study investigators not present. Lack of neck cooler availability (i.e. have not been allowed to cool down in fridge between uses).
Outcome results
None listed