For pediatric patients awaiting a surgery, having a favorite stuffed animal or other comfort item in their surgery bed with them can alleviate fears and ease anxiety, but they could also be a cause of surgical site infections, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics.
Researchers swabbed two types of stuffed animals for bacteria: regular stuffed animals and those that were washed and dried in a conventional washer/dryer and placed in a sealable plastic bag.
They found that all stuffed animals showed bacterial growth. However, a total of 79 percent of them were "sterilized" by washing and drying them at home, and those stuffed animals remained sterile after being in a sealed bag for 24 hours.
"These results indicate that items of comfort, such as stuffed animals, brought in to the operating room with a benevolent purpose may represent a reservoir of bacteria that could lead to an unwanted SSI," the study authors concluded. They encouraged using the wash/dry method to sterilize comfort items before bringing them into the OR, but noted that further research is needed to see if "culture positive" stuffed animals and SSI rates are correlated or if giving a child a cleaned stuffed animal could reduce SSI rates.