We know that healthcare providers are under constant pressure to reduce costs while improving standards of care and preventing cross-contamination.

It is estimated that one out of every 20 patients undergoing surgery will develop a surgical site infection and staff exposure rate to patient's blood during surgery is as high as 10.4 per 100 procedures. It's important to ensure patient safety in the operating room and to protect healthcare professionals from infection from bloodborne illnesses.

Healthcare professionals are frequently exposed to pathogens. Needlestick injuries, of which there are an estimated one million in Europe each year, putting them at risk of contracting bloodborne illnesses, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV from patients' blood.

Surgical site infections are costly to treat; they also cause pain and trauma to patients. An SSI could, for example, mean that a patient goes on to develop deep tissue infection which results in the patient having to remain hospitalised for a prolonged period of time, occupying bed space that could have been used for other patients and it could all have been prevented.

SSIs are caused by the microbial contamination of the surgical wound. The microorganisms enter by one of the following:

From the skin of patients

From the surgeons and other operating room personnel

From the air

From contaminated surfaces or instruments used during surgery

Preventing SSI isn't easy. For example, it's estimated that about one-third of the population naturally carries the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, on the skin and in the nostrils. Some strains of this bacteria (e.g. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA) are resistant to several antibiotics. Both staphylococci and enterococci bacteria can survive for days to months after drying on commonly used hospital fabrics and plastics.

The air is also a source of infection: humans shed thousands of skin scales every minute, each potentially carrying bacteria (80% of bacteria come from the air ).