Standardized approach for preop chlorhexidine showers reduces SSIs

Editor's Note

A standardized process of dose, duration, and timing for preoperative showers with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate maximizes the benefit of the shower as an effective risk reduction strategy for surgical site infections, finds this study.

The process includes:

• 118 mL of aqueous 4% chlorhexidine gluconate per shower
• a minimum of two sequential showers
• a 1-minute pause before rinsing.

This process corrects deficiencies present in current nonstandardized preoperative shower protocols, the authors say.

Importance To reduce the amount of skin surface bacteria for patients undergoing elective surgery, selective health care facilities have instituted a preadmission antiseptic skin cleansing protocol using chlorhexidine gluconate. A Cochrane Collaborative review suggests that existing data do not justify preoperative skin cleansing as a strategy to reduce surgical site infection.