Strong evidence from a new 6-hospital study could lead many ORs to change their traditional practice for surgical skin preparation. In the first prospective, randomized study to compare the effect of 2 skin prep agents on the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) after clean-contaminated surgery, a chlorhexidine (CHG)-alcohol product came out ahead of a povidone-iodine scrub and paint, resulting in an infection rate 41% lower. The report is in the January 7, 2010, New England Journal of Medicine.
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