The importance of infection control and prevention in anesthesiology

Publication date: Available online 23 November 2017 Source:Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology Author(s): Andrés Zorrilla-Vaca, Kevin Escandón-Vargas The key role of the field of infectious diseases in other medical specialties, including anesthesiology, is currently well known. The anesthesiologist faces a potential risk of contributing to the development of healthcare associated infections in the operating rooms; however, the infectious complications derived from anesthesia have been underestimated. It is important to acknowledge that there are some deficiencies in research, notification, and publication of reports on anesthesia-associated infectious events in developing countries, particularly in Colombia, which is the focus of our attention in this article. As far as we know, only five countries – most of them developed – have carried out studies on the practices and knowledge of the anesthesiology personnel with regards to universal recommendations for the prevention and control of anesthesia-associated infections. This document discusses the importance of infections in the area of anesthesiology and at present in Colombia. Furthermore, the need to comply with basic infection prevention and control precautions and of creating awareness of safe injection practices is recognized.
Source: Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research