Is Main Operating Room Sterility Really Necessary in Carpal Tunnel Surgery? A Multicenter Prospective Study of Minor Procedure Room Field Sterility Surgery

BACKGROUND: Over 70% of Canadian carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) operations are performed outside of the main operating room (OR) with field sterility and surgeon-administered pure local anesthesia [LeBlanc et al., Hand 2(4):173-8, 14]. Is main OR sterility necessary to avoid infection for this operation? This study evaluates the infection rate in carpal tunnel release (CTR) using minor procedure room field sterility. METHODS: This is a …