The risk of bacteria in foam sclerotherapy: does the condition of the air in outpatient vs. operating rooms make a difference?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Foam sclerotherapy has been one of the most frequently applied therapeutic methods for the treatment of varicose veins and venous malformation. Few studies have investigated the sterile condition of the air used for foam creation. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the bacterial conditions in foam created from the air in outpatient and operating rooms used for sclerotherapy treatment, in order to provide the basis for clinical applications in foam sclerotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we measured the amount of airborne microorganisms in the air in the operating room, and in the outpatient room, the polidocanol (POL) foam created using the air in the respective rooms, and the microorganisms present in the liquid POL. We used the settle plate method for air sampling. We used the Tessari method to generate foam. The experiment was repeated three times. RESULTS: Typical bacterial colonies were formed on nutrient agar plates in both the outpatient room and operating room air groups. No colonies were cultivated in the liquid POL. Although the use of sterile or nonsterile air in sclerotherapy produces significantly different results in the counts of colony-forming units, there was no difference in the foam created using sterile or nonsterile air (i.e. no colonies were cultivated on either foam). CONCLUSIONS: There is no increased risk of infection when using foam sclerotherapy in outpatient rooms compared with using foam created under sterile operating-room conditions.