Background: Maximal sterile barrier precautions (MSBP) including head coverings and face masks are advocated by published guidelines for use in invasive procedures, including coronary interventions.
The rationale for MSBP assumes that its usage prevents infection transmission from the operator to the patient and thus is an obligatory measure for infection prevention.
However, in contrast to these recommendations, in many cath labs, head coverings / face masks are not used in daily practice.
Accordingly, the aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the potential hazards of not using head coverings/ face masks routinely in cath lab procedures.
Patients& Methods: A total of 110 successive elective patients undergoing cardiac catheterizations without any recent history of febrile illness were recruited.
Patients were catheterized by several interventional cardiologists who employed only routine infection control precautions of standard hand washing, sterile gloves and gowns without head coverings or face masks.
In each patient, at the end of the procedure, we took two sets of blood cultures (aerobic and an aerobic), one peripheral and one from the introducer sheath. In addition, cultures were taken from the tips of the coronary diagnostic catheters and from the sterile saline water flush bowl. Cultures were handled and analyzed at our certified hospital microbiology laboratory.
Results: In none of the cultures was a clinically significant bacterial growth isolated. No signs for infection were reported later by any of the study patients and there were no relevant subsequent admissions.
In conclusion: Operating in the cath lab without head coverings/ mask face, was not associated with any bacterial infection in multiple blood and equipment cultures. Accordingly, we believe that the use of head coverings/ mask face should not be an obligatory requirement and may be used at the interventional cardiologists` discretion.
