Infection Flashcards
Define Antiseptic
Something that fights against sepsis and the microbes that create infection
Define Aseptic
Sterile; free from the microbes that cause infection
Define Sepsis
A condition in which harmful bacteria affect the flesh, normally leading to infection and decaying flesh
Where were operations carried out before 1845?
In a patients home or hospital ward
What would those present for the operation usually wear?
Medical students/ dressers (people who held down patients) would wear their normal clothes
Surgeons would wear their oldest coat- with large amounts of blood and pus on it
When was the ‘Black Period’ of surgery?
1850- 1870
Why was there a ‘Black Period’ of surgery?
Operations still carried out in unhygienic conditions
Blood loss still a problem
What did Semmelweiss observe in the Vienna General Hospital in 1846?
Higher death rate among women who had births delivered by medical students than women who midwives to deliver their baby
Why did Semmelweiss believe more women were dying?
Due to medical students carrying out dissections then going straight to delivery room without washing hands.
What problems did Semmelweiss face?
Medical students did not want to wash their hands in chlorinated solution as they did not know about germs.
He was mocked then sacked from the hospital.
Who copied Semmelweiss’ methods?
James Simpson
What did Nightingale believe caused infection?
Miasma
How did Nightingale try to solve infection?
Setting high standards for hygiene in hospitals and the training of nurses, eg, one patient per bed
When did Louis Pasteur discover Germ Theory?
1861
What acid was used to kill parasites in sewers?
Carbolic Acid
When did Lister first try using Carbolic Acid?
1865
How did Lister discover Carbolic Acid worked?
An operation on 11 year old boy with compound fracture
Soaked bandages in Carbolic Acid and watched wound carefully
After 6 weeks, no sign of infection and the wound had healed
How did Lister use Carbolic Acid in operations?
It was sprayed over the operation with the surgeons hands constantly in the mist
How did other surgeons find out about Lister’s methods?
He kept good records and published a lot of his findings to encourage others to copy his methods
What other key discovery did Lister make?
He introduced catgut instead of silk ligatures
It could be sterilised and would dissolve in the body after several days
Why did some doctors oppose Lister’s ideas?
Some did not accept that microbes caused infection
Carbolic acid slowed down operations which could lead to blood loss problems
Did not always copy his methods correctly- if their survival rate did not improve they said Lister was wrong
Lister kept changing his methods- gave the impression he was unsure of his ideas
Equipment was expensive and heavy
Some surgeons had good results without carbolic acid
Nurses resented extra work by being more hygienic
What did Koch invent in 1878?
A steam steriliser to ensure instruments were germ free
By what decade were most operations carried out in antiseptic conditions?
1890’s
What are some of the features of aseptic surgery?
Rubber gloves Masks Sterile equipment Closed operating theatres Sterile clothes
