Bulletins of Natural and Applied Sciences
Vol. 4(1):19-28
Assessment of surgical site contamination and aseptic practices in student small animal surgeries at the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, University of Maiduguri
Dauda Laku 1, Mohammed Auwal Idris2*, Bashir Muazu Mohammed1, Musa Kalim Adam 1, Abubakar Mshelia Saidu1, Zainab Bukola Yusuf 1, Adamu Alkali Habib1 and Mohammed Sani3 1Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, F
ABSTRACT
Postoperative Surgical Site Infection (SSI) is very much associated with surgical site contamination in small animal veterinary practice, especially within veterinary teaching theatres where students frequently perform surgeries. However, there is limited quantitative data evaluating the extent of surgical site contamination in veterinary teaching hospitals, particularly regarding how intraoperative factors, theatre traffic, and adherence to aseptic protocols influence contamination levels and subsequent systemic responses in small animal patients. The study evaluated the level of surgical site contamination and the effectiveness of preventive aseptic measures employed during student-performed small animal surgeries at the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, University of Maiduguri. A prospective observational study design wherein five dogs were subjected to various surgical procedures, including gastrotomy, splenectomy, and ovariohysterectomy, was used. Swab samples were collected from the kennels, surgical packs, pre-surgical sites, intraoperative fields, immediate postoperative sites, and 3 days post-surgery for bacteriological analysis. Standard culture techniques were employed for the isolation and identification of bacterial organisms, and contamination levels were expressed as colony-forming units. Observations of aseptic practices, surgical duration, and operating theatre dynamics were also recorded, besides pre- and post-operative haematological appraisals. Results revealed an overall bacterial culture positivity rate of 78.5%, with the highest contamination observed in kennel samples and postoperative surgical sites. Staphylococcus spp. (39.28%). were the most frequently isolated organisms, followed by Escherichia coli (35.71%), Shigella spp. (35.71%), Pseudomonas spp. (21.42%), and Bacillus spp. (21.42%). The presence of postoperative haematological changes such as leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and monocytosis provided evidence that there was a systemic response to surgical contamination. This study confirms that, surgical site contamination in student surgical procedures in part occurs as a result of both intraoperative and postoperative parameters. There is a need for heightened awareness in aseptic practice, reduced theatre traffic, and upgraded environmental or postoperative wound care.
