The elucidation of the pathogen diffusion characteristic during a operation

In situ measurements were conducted to understand the characteristics of airborne particles based on particle size, viable bacteria, and microbiome generated two types of surgery performed in the same operating room on a single day. During thoracotomy, a sharp rise was observed in the concentration of airborne particles at the beginning of the use of electrosurgical tools. Furthermore, the level of exposure to airborne particles during thoracotomy was found to be 4-27 times higher than that during endoscopic surgery. During endoscopic surgery, the concentration of bacteria near the operating table and at the air inlet was 56 CFU/m3and undetected, respectively. In comparison, during thoracotomy, the concentration of airborne near the operating table and at the air inlet was 533 CFU/m3 and 11 CFU/m3, respectively. Based on 16S rRNA analysis, the top four genera of each sample, that is, Streptococcus, Acinetobacter, Neisseria, and Staphylococcus, were bacteria of human origin.