Skin Prep for Surgical Suite

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to contain the amount of chlorhexidine gluconate preferred by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. Most of the sometimes deadly surgical infections are caused by bacteria on the patient's own skin. Patients with SSIs are twice as likely to die, 60% more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit, and more than five times likely to be readmitted to the hospital after discharge.

ChloraPrep's unique formulation combines the recommended amount of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG, 2%) with isopropyl alcohol (IPA, 70%). Clinical evidence shows that this combination possesses superior immediate, residual, and cumulative antibacterial activity, compared to the current standard, idophors. While alcohol kills 99.9% of bacteria in 30 seconds, CHG continues to kill bacteria for a minimum of 48 hours. This dual action is the key to reducing infection-causing skin bacteria.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (PA, USA) implemented the use of ChloraPrep as part of an initiative to lower catheter-based bloodstream infection rates. After only one year, this effort achieved a 71.4% reduction.

"Reducing the amount of bacteria present on the patient's skin prior to a surgical procedure is one of the essentials in preventing infections,” said Cynthia Crosby, vice president of clinical affairs at Medi-Flex, Inc. (Leawood, KS, USA), which developed the new skin preparation.




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Medi-Flex