Comment in:

Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2008 Nov;90(8):710; author reply 710.

Wedding rings are not a significant source of bacterial contamination following surgical scrubbing.

Department of Surgery, Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, UK. asmaa@doctors.org.uk

INTRODUCTION: Despite some evidence that the wearing of rings may increase the microbial load, there is currently nothing to suggest that viable bacteria remain following a standard surgical scrub. The aim of the study was to examine the distribution and type of microbial flora seen on the hands of doctors following a standard surgical scrub. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten surgeons and 10 anaesthetists, all of whom wore wedding rings on the fourth finger of their left hand, participated in the study. Each individual was asked to 'scrub-up' as for their normal first scrub of the day. Following completion of washing, the wedding ring was removed, its internal circumference swabbed and the swab placed in a culture medium. Volunteers placed each hand palm-down on separate agar plates. The plates were incubated and the number of colonies counted and classified. RESULTS: The culture plates of one of the anaesthetists were damaged in transit leaving a total of 19 subjects for analysis. In all the palm imprint plates, coagulase-negative staphylococci were grown. One surgeon grew coagulase-negative staphylococci from the ring swab. A Candida spp. from the right hand of one surgeon was grown. There was no statistically significant difference between the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) cultured from the right and left (ring-wearing) hands of the surgeons (P = 0.260) and anaesthetists ( P = 0.345). There was no statistical difference in CFUs when surgeons were compared with anaesthetists (P = 0.383 for right hand and P = 0.234 for left). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study would suggest that a traditional band wedding ring is not a source of a bacterial load following a standard surgical scrub procedure and, as such, there is no requirement for their removal pre-operatively.

PMID: 18325213 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC2443308 [Available on 2009/03/01]