The thyroid shield that is often visible above the neckline is contaminated with strains of bacteria that are commonly implicated in postoperative infections. Cleaning the thyroid shield with readily available cleaners can significantly reduce the bacterial burden as detectable by culture. Based on the primary research question, this article is a basic science article.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.