Ricerc@Sapienza

Despite growing attention to the ability of patients to provide informed consent to treatment in different medical settings, few studies have dealt with the issue of informed consent to major orthopaedic surgery in those over the age of 60. This population is at risk of impaired decision-making capacity (DMC) because older age is often associated with a decline in cognitive function, and they often present with anxiety and depressive symptoms, which could also affect their capacity to consent to treatment.

Postoperative infections are a concern, especially in total knee and total hip arthroplasty.
We evaluated the air quality in orthopaedic operating theatres in southeastern Italy to determine the
level of bacterial contamination as a risk factor for postoperative infection. Thirty-five hospitals with
operating theatres focused on total knee and total hip arthroplasty participated. We sampled the air
passively and actively before surgeries began for the day (at rest) and 15 min after the surgical incision