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Douglas B. Craig, MD
Winnipeg, Manitoba

JAMA. 1975;232(1):19.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

In the article "Sources of Contamination in Open Heart Surgery" (230:1415, 1974), Kluge et al reported a 71% incidence of positive cultures from various sites during the operative procedure. When discussing possible sources for the microorganisms the authors overlooked one hidden but well-known source, the anesthetic gas machine.

Morbidity and mortality due to infection acquired from anesthetic breathing circuits in patients undergoing open heart surgery has been reported previously.^1,2 In both of these outbreaks the offending bacteria were strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Respiratory tract colonization, infection, and septicemia occurred in two groups of patients undergoing open heart surgery. Phage typing allowed presumptive linkage of exposure to contaminated anesthetic equipment and subsequent infection. Both epidemics abruptly terminated on the introduction of proper sterilization procedures for the anesthetic circuits. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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