Procedures and medications initiated to prevent infection above and beyond standard large-animal survival surgery standards
| Measures | Description |
|---|---|
| Preoperative measures | All surfaces of the operating room including the walls and ceiling were sanitized with Quatricide PV-15 (Pharmacal) prior to each surgery |
| Swine received a Hibiclens (chlorhexidine gluconate) bath over the entire body the day before and the day of surgery | |
| All hair clipping was performed before entering the OR | |
| Feet were wrapped with Vetrap before entering the OR | |
| Xeroform Petrolatum gauze inserted in the ears | |
| Head, ears, and neck were washed with 2% chlorhexidine wipes before entering the operating room | |
| Staff replaced all personal protective equipment before entering OR | |
| Additional scrub and drape measures | Ears were wrapped with sterile Vetrap |
| Tegaderm was placed over the top of the snout, over the eyes, and around the ears creating a perimeter around the surgical site on the head | |
| A dedicated scrub pack was used separate from the instrument pack with the surgeon rescrubbing/regowning after scrub | |
| Three-step scrub instead of two-step scrub: incision sites prepped with 70% ethanol then with betadine using gauze held with a dedicated scrub hemostat, then with a ChloraPrep wand | |
| Three layers of drapes instead of two: sterile Steri-Drapes were placed around the incision sites then site was covered by Ioban then with a large split-sheet sterile drape placed over the entire surgical area | |
| Prophylactic antibiotics | Vancomycin (10–20 mg/kg, i.v.) infused over 30 min prior to the first incision |
| Cephalexin (10–20 mg/kg, orally) three times/d for 7 d | |
| Other | Using dedicated instruments for the neck site (not used at the head site) and a new pair of surgical gloves to handle the EEG transmitter |
| All instruments were heat/pressure sterilized as possible. Chemical sterilization with ethylene oxide was not used | |
| The EEG transmitter was prevented from touching the skin of the pig by adding new drapes and packing sterile gauze around the incision site | |
| Surgical sites were heavily irrigated with sterile saline prior to closing | |
| Postsurgically, the skin of the pig was oiled regularly to prevent irritation and scratching | |
| Placards placed on the swine pen indicated areas approved for scratching by caretakers avoiding incision sites |
OR, Operating room.