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The authors are from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery (JAP, MT), the Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (MJK, RP), the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine (RP), and the Department of General Surgery (JMA), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Dr Parry, Ms Karau, and Dr Aho have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. Dr Taunton is a paid consultant for DJO Orthopedics. Dr Patel's institution has received consulting fees from ThermoFisher and grants from Astella, Tornier, Pocared, Pradama, 3M, Pfizer, BioFire, Curetis, and Nano MR.
Beards in the operating room have sparked controversy because of their potential to retain and transmit pathogenic organisms. 1-5 Even after it is washed with soap and water, facial hair may retain enough microorganisms to establish infection. 1 In an extreme example, an outbreak of 16 severe surgical site infections was linked to a surgeon whose hair was colonized by Staphylococcus aureus despite negative throat and nose culture findings. 2
McLure et al 6 compared rates of bacterial shedding in bearded and clean-shaven medical personnel who wore surgical masks and performed a series of facial motions. This study found that bearded men shed more colony-forming units (CFUs) than both clean-shaven men ( P <.01) and women ( P <.001) and concluded that facial hair may be unsafe in a sterile environment.
Despite the potential risk of infection posed by beards, they are common among surgeons and operating room staff. At the authors' institution, many surgeons, including those with and without beards, elect to wear nonsterile surgical hoods to minimize the risk of surgical site infection. These hoods have been shown to be superior to surgical masks alone and as efficacious as sterile ventilated hoods in decreasing the number of bacterial CFUs in wounds by 98% to 99%. 7 Multiple studies have shown that facial hair can act as a reservoir for pathogenic organisms. However, the study by McLure et al 6 is the only investigation that has compared the degree of bacterial shedding over a sterile field in bearded and clean-shaven men. 1-5 The goal of the current study was to determine whether nonsterile surgical hoods reduce the risk of bacterial shedding posed by beards.
Materials and Methods
After institutional review board approval was obtained,...