Effects of Chlorhexidine 2% in Alcohol 70% and povidone-iodine 10% on skin colonization after surgical prep Download PDF

Introduction: The operating room is a potential place for hospital infection, but we can reduce its costs and side effects by using aseptic surgery techniques. Since the skin is the main source of pathogens, the surgical incision will inevitably create a pathway for them. This study was conducted to compare the effect of two antiseptic solutions of Povidone Iodine 10% and Chlorhexidine 2% in isopropyl 70% on reduction of skin colonization of the surgical site. Methodology: This is a semi-experimental study, which was performed on 260 patients in the elective operating room of Alzahra Hospital in Isfahan. Patients were randomly arranged in two groups of 130 subjects. From each patient, samples were taken by swab from a region of 2 * 2 cm width from the beginning of each surgical cut in three periods before, 2 minutes and 6 hours after prep. Samples were cultured on Blood Agar and EMB media and sent to the laboratory and the results were analyzed. Results: The average number of microorganisms on the skin of surgical site 2 minutes and 6 hours after prep was not significantly different in two groups (P-Value = 0.409 * P-Value = 0.453), but the frequency distribution of the type of microorganisms in the surgical site 2 minutes and 6 hours after prep had a significant difference in the two groups (P value = 0.001 * P-value = 0.003). Discussion and Final Conclusion: The results of research on the application of two solutions are different. This study showed that the effect of Chlorhexidine 2% solution in isopropyl 70% on the reduction of the frequency distribution of microorganisms is strikingly high as compared to Povidone Iodine 10%, indicating the fast and stable effects of this solution. Therefore, it is suggested that Chlorhexidine 2% solution in Alcohol 70% to be used for prep before thoracic and abdominal surgeries.