Comparison of a Waterless, Brushless Chlorhexidine/Ethanol Emollient with Povidone-Iodine Surgical Scrubs.
- Author:
Eun Suk PARK
;
Seon Young JANG
;
Kyung Ae KIM
;
Yang Soo KIM
;
Soo Kyeong JUNG
;
Kyungja WOO
;
Dongeun YONG
;
June Myung KIM
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Chlorhexidine gluconate;
Povidone-iodine;
Skin condition;
Surgical hand hygiene
- MeSH:
Bacterial Load;
Chlorhexidine;
Detergents;
Ethanol;
Hand;
Hand Disinfection;
Korea;
Povidone-Iodine*;
Skin;
Weights and Measures
- From:Korean Journal of Nosocomial Infection Control
2006;11(1):50-57
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare a 1% chlorhexidine gluconate/6l% ethanol (CHG/Ethanol) emollient and 7.5% povidone-iodine (PVI) scrub for antibacterial efficacy and effect on skin condition. METHODS: Twelve healthy newly employed nurses were recruited for this clinical study to evaluate the two hand cleansing agents. The CHG/Ethanol emollient hand preparation was applied without scrubbing and 7.5% PVI was applied using a scrub brush in 5-minute surgical scrubbing. Subjects used one method for 5 days and switched to the other method for another 5 days. Samples were taken for bacterial counts using the glove juice technique before and one minute after hand cleansing and again at the end of surgical operation on Day 1, 2, and 5. The VSS (Visual Scoring of Skin condition) scores and HSA (Hand Subject Assessment) scales were used to evaluate skin condition. RESULTS: Log reduction in bacterial counts by CHG/Ethanol emollient was greater than by PVI immediately after hand cleasing (log3.73 vs log1.66) and at the end of surgical operation (log3.49 vs log1.93) on Day 1. But there were no significant difference on Day 2 and 5. CHG/Ethanol emollient caused fewer skin problems than PVI; the VSS scores of the CHG/Ethanol emollient were better than those of PVI on Day 2, 3, 4, and 5 (P<0.05), and also HSA scale for change from baseline to the end of Day 5 was significantly better for the CHG/Ethanol emollient (22.5-->24.5 vs 23.0-->19.3). CONCLUSION: Compared to PVI, the CHG/Ethanol emollient hand preparation was shown to be more antibacterial and less irritation to skin. The results showed the possibility of using the waterless, scrubless agent for surgical hand scrub in Korea.
