A threshold of 100 or more colony-forming units on the anesthesia machine predicts bacterial pathogen detection: a retrospective laboratory-based analysis

ConclusionsAnesthesia machine reservoir samples returning  <  100 CFU were associated with negligible pathogen detection. This threshold can be used for assessment of terminal, routine, and between-case cleaning of the anesthesia machine and equipment. Such feedback may be useful because the 44% prevalence of ≥ 100 CFU was comparable to the 46% (25/ 54) reported earlier from an unrelated hospital.
Source: Canadian Journal of Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research