CORR Insights^®: What Orthopaedic Operating Room Surfaces Are Contaminated With Bioburden? A Study Using the ATP Bioluminescence Assay

Excerpt

In their prospective diagnostic study, Drs. Richard and Bowen used adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence to measure cleanliness in the orthopaedic operating room (OR). Having originated in the food service industry, this novel method to measure cleanliness is finding its way into the healthcare setting [1, 2, 8]. ATP hydrolysis (ATP → ADP + Pi + energy) is found in all living organisms, including bacteria, which makes ATP bioluminescence monitoring a practical technique to measure localized bioburden on contaminated surfaces. This topic is important because bioburden present on surfaces in the OR can potentially lead to postoperative infections [5]. I am not aware of any previous studies that evaluated the use of ATP bioluminescence as a measurement of cleanliness in orthopaedic ORs. …