Gamze YILDIRIM BIÇER, Kürşad Ramazan ZOR, Erkut KÜÇÜK, Zeki BAYSAL, Ömer ÖZER, Levent DOĞAN
Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine - 2026;17(4):295-298
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the points that sterilisation cannot be achieved fully and that the probability of loss of sterilisation is highest in phacoemulsification surgery. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 13 items including sterilisation problems that may occur during this period was prepared. Surgeons were asked to allocate 100 points to these 13 items according to the frequency which they were encountered. The percentage of the relevant item was calculated by taking the arithmetic mean of the responses. Results: Two hundred surgeons, 108 males and 92 females, participated in the study. It was determined that the point at which sterility impaired with the highest rate was during the adjustment of view of the microscope, with a rate of 35%. This was followed by contamination during phaco handpiece removal with a rate of 10%, contamination while wearing gloves with a rate of 9.375%, contamination during surgical area cleaning with a rate of 7.5%, and contamination during the closure of the case with a rate of 7.5%. Contamination during hand drying was found to be 1.875% with the lowest rate. Conclusion: In an uncomplicated cataract surgery, it was found that the point at which sterilisation problems were most likely to occur was during the adjustment of the microscope. New regulations for the contamination types can reduce the risks of infection and help increase safer surgery and effective treatment.
