Disinfection of the Linear Cutter in Colon Cancer Surgery

Shogo Kobayashi¹⁾²⁾, Masao Kameyama¹⁾, Kohei Murata¹⁾, Hiroaki Ohigashi¹⁾, Masahiro Hiratsuka¹⁾, Yo Sasaki¹⁾, Toshiyuki Kabuto¹⁾, Osamu Ishikawa¹⁾, Shingi Imaoka¹⁾

1) First Department of Surgery, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2) Department of Surgery and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University

Wound infection is a common complication in colorectal surgery. In functional end-to end anastomosis common in colon surgery, the linear cutter must be inserted into the intestine. Postoperative wound infection may increase due to repeated linear cutter use. We disinfected the cutter using 0.5% chlorohexidine for 30 seconds before using a second cartridge. This reduced the number of microbes on the linear cutter from 79% to 16% (p<0.01). In 46 consecutive colon cancer operations, the cutter was not disinfected in 22 patients and disinfected in 24 patients. Wound infection occurred in eight (33%) in the nondisinfection control group and 2 (9%) in the disinfection sterile group (p<0.01). These results indicate that linear cutter disinfection using 0.5% chlorohexidine is useful in reducing surgical site infection.

Key words
colon surgery, wound infection, linear cutter

Reprint requests
Masao Kameyama First Department of Surgery, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases 1-3-3 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka, 537-8511 JAPAN

Accepted
May 23, 2001

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