Pressures encountered in the operating theater as a source of bacterial infection

Theoretical requirements for a safety factor in surgical gown pore size relative to bacterial size and viscous properties are presented. A description is given of distributed pressure measurements made in the operating theater by two methods: pressure-sensitive contact film, and a specially fabricated resistive strain gage device. Results for each device are presented for two possible surgeon contact sites with the patient (the forearm and the abdomen) and are comparable. Although relatively high pressures were recorded (up to 29 p.s.i. from the forearm during thoracic surgery), it is uncertain whether favorable condition for bacterial conditions exist