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Surgical asepsis sterile technique9/13/2023 ![]() Strictly defined, “asepsis” is the state of being free of microorganisms that might be pathogenic, whereas “sterility” is the complete absence of all forms of life, pathogenic or not. Some disinfectants may eventually kill spores if concentrations are high enough and contact times are extended over many hours. Disinfection is the reduction or elimination of microbial life forms except for spores. Sterilization occurs when all forms of life are destroyed, including spores-the microbial form most resistant to destruction. Sterilization and disinfection differ in the degree that life forms are eliminated ( McDonnell 2007 Rutala 2007). Some have even argued that, while compromising surgical techniques in the field might result in complications or mortalities, the money saved would allow for a compensatory increase in sample size ( Anderson and Talcott 2006).Įlectronic devices are frequently described in the telemetry literature as being sterilized or disinfected without any distinction between these terms (e.g., Chittenden et al. However, I maintain that many biologists find it difficult to place the concept of asepsis into practice in their work because of confusion about what constitutes aseptic technique, a lack of surgical knowledge and training, the perception of increased costs, or the belief that aseptic surgeries are impractical or unnecessary for their application. Most biologists (73%) who implant devices into fishes believe aseptic techniques are important ( Wagner and Cooke 2005). Few biologists have been formally trained in aseptic technique, but most biologists know that electronic devices should be treated in some way to reduce the chance for infection of the host animal by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Guidance specific to sterilization of electronic devices for implantation is limited in the wildlife record ( Burger et al. Moreover, such suppositions ignore other adverse effects that affect behavior indirectly, and animals often mask the signs of infection to avoid attracting predators ( Wobeser 2006). ![]() Such statements are suppositions if no supporting data are provided or if the animals were equipped because there was no other way to follow their activity. ![]() Similarly, authors sometimes state that it was unlikely that device implantation was problematic because study animals appeared to behave normally, or authors state that previous investigators used the same technique and saw no problems. The near absence of such studies from the published record may be providing a false sense of security that procedures being used are more innocuous than they actually are. It is likely that some studies using implanted electronic devices have not been published due to a high level of unexpected mortality or to aberrant behavior or disappearance of the implanted animals, a phenomenon known as the “file drawer” problem ( Rosenthal 1979 Scargle 2000). More than 83% of publications in the 1990s that used radiotelemetry on animals assumed that there were no adverse effects on the animal ( Godfrey and Bryant 2003).
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