Main Menu Browse by Day or Program Author Keywords

639 Growth of Bacterial Pathogens on Three Brands of Surgical Marking Pens

Saturday, March 20, 2010
Grand Hall (Hyatt Regency Atlanta)
Katy M. Callahan , University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
LeeAnn Turnbull, BSc , Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Robert Rennie, PhD , Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada
A. Mark Joffe, MD , University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Background: Marking pens used to delineate surgical sites in many healthcare regions are deemed single-patient use and discarded after a single use. This strategy has significant financial and environmental cost.

Objective: Our goals were to determine if 3 surgical marking pens in use in our regional hospitals support growth of common bacterial pathogens and whether an alcohol wipe can eliminate this growth.

Methods: Alcohol-based Sharpie® and Papermate® pens and single-use Cardinal Health® gentian violet-based pens were inoculated on their tips and bodies with one of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or Escherichia coli. Thirty-five pens of each type were inoculated in each trial by dragging the tip and body through bacterial colonies grown on a blood agar plate (BAP). The pens were subsequently tested for growth on their tips, bodies, and bodies after cleaning with a 70% isopropyl alcohol pad for 30 seconds. Testing was done at time intervals of 0, 7, and 20 minutes, 1 hour, 24 hours, 1 week, and 1 month after inoculation by streaking the pens (5 in each group) across a BAP, incubating at 37°C and assessing for growth at 18-24 hours. Growth was measured by approximating the percentage of the streaked area that was covered in colonies.

Results: Alcohol based tips did not support growth of any of the 5 pathogens tested. The gentian violet marker tips supported growth for up to one hour. Bodies of all 3 pen types supported bacterial growth for up to one month. After cleaning with 70% isopropyl alcohol, no bacterial growth was detected for 98% of Sharpies®, 94% of Papermates®, and 87% of Cardinal Health® pens.

Conclusions: Surgical marking pens support growth of common bacterial pathogens for at least one month. Alcohol-based surgical marking pens may be reused safely if they are carefully wiped with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Reuse of markers may provide significant financial savings to busy surgical services.