Antiseptic and hygienic preparation of patients for ear surgery with an endaural approach

Introduction. Optimization of preoperative preparation protocols in otosurgery can reduce intraand postoperative infectious complications, improve surgical outcomes, which is important for the rehabilitation of patients with ear diseases.Aim. To determine the effectiveness of antiseptic and hygienic preoperative preparation of the surgical field during endaural otosurgical interventions.Materials and methods. The randomized study included 183 patients who underwent surgery via the endaural approach. The first part of the study evaluated the effect of 10% povidone-iodine solution treatment on the skin microbiome; the second part evaluated the need for ear canal depilation and before surgery and compared the methods.Results. Examination of skin microbiota of the external auditory canal in 85% revealed the growth of microorganisms:Staphylococcus – 115 (85.5%), fungal growth – 6 (4.4%), Corynebacterium – 8 (5.9%), etc. Microbial growth was not detected in 15%. Antiseptic treatment with 10% Povidone-iodine solution with endaural access reduces the degree of contamination and suppresses the growth of microorganisms in more than one third of patients. Inflammatory changes of the postoperative wound correspond to the degree of inflammation IA in both control and study groups. After depilation, visualization was assessed as optimal in 100% of cases and no inflammatory reactions were found. Average depilation time with scissors 113 sec, with an ear trimmer 32 sec.Conclusions. Preoperative antiseptic preparation reduces microbial contamination of the skin via endaural access, with no significant impact on wound healing process in the postoperative period. Depilation improved the view of the operative field in 100% of cases. Depilation with an ear trimmer is 3.5 times faster than with scissors.