Use of electrocautery does not diminish the transmission rate of <i>Cutibacterium acnes</i> compared to a scalpel blade.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32025126.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.jor.2019.11.023 and PMC identifier 6997636.
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Abstract
Many methods are used during shoulder surgery to prevent wound contamination with <i>Cutibacterium acnes</i>, but there are no accepted standards for prevention. Some surgeons use an electrosurgical instrument instead of a scalpel blade during open shoulder surgery in an effort to prevent deep tissue contamination with <i>C. acnes</i>. We sought to compare the transference rate of <i>C. acnes</i> between a scalpel blade at room temperature and an electrosurgical blade heated to 41°C (temperature of electrosurgical blade after standard deltopectoral approach). In our model, using a scalpel blade versus a heated electrosurgical blade resulted in no difference in pathogen transference.