An overview of OT surgical asepsis

Surgical asepsis is the application of sterilization technique to the OT personnel, surgical tools, and equipment as well as the patient. The purpose is to eliminate all forms of living organisms on the surfaces of these subjects/objects, to such a low level whereby it will not pose any risk of infection to the patient.

Generally, the OT can be considered as consisting of two areas: 

1)                  Sterile area

2)                  Non-sterile area 

The Sterile area is demarcated strictly as the surgical field whereby only sterile personnel and equipment are allowed within the area together with the patient and the Non-sterile area constitute the remaining spaces in the operating theatre.

Therefore, the surgical team is also subdivided into sterile and non-sterile teams, according to the functions of its members.

The operation takes place in the sterile area.

Naturally, the patient, surgeons , OT sterile/scrub nurses (scrub is another word generally used to describe an object or person in a state of sterilization), instruments and equipments that they will directly handle, including the trays, tables and trolleys, which hold these things, will all have to be sterile. The sterile instruments, drapes and tools are mostly prepared by the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) that is part of the hospital. These "sterile packs" are delivered to the OT as ordered for the day's supply. However, some items are pre-sterilized by the manufacturer, which can be used straight "off-the-shelve".  

The rest of the OT constitutes the non-sterile area. The anesthetist (or referred to as anesthesiologist in some countries), the "circulator" (an OT nurse assisting the sterile/scrub OT nurse), the radiographer and other support stuff works in this area.