- Bacteria on the Skin is the Primary Cause of Surgical Site Infections -

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Data published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery demonstrates that use of the preoperative skin preparation ChloraPrep((R) )from CareFusion is significantly more effective than both DuraPrep and povidone-iodine at eliminating overall bacteria from the shoulder region. After antisepsis with ChloraPrep (2 percent chlorhexidine gluconate and 70 percent isopropyl alcohol), only seven percent of skin cultures tested positive for bacteria compared to 19 percent (p<0.01) for DuraPrep (0.7 percent iodophor and 74 percent isopropyl alcohol) and 31 percent (p<0.0001) for povidone-iodine (0.75 percent iodine scrub and 1 percent paint).(1)

"While the presence of bacteria on the skin doesn't automatically lead to an infection, significantly reducing bacteria on a patient's skin is a key component of reducing the overall risk of infection," said Dr. Matthew D. Saltzman, principal study investigator and assistant professor at Northwestern University. "In terms of bacterial reduction, these study results suggest that ChloraPrep may better protect patients than DuraPrep or iodine."

Bacteria on the skin is the number one cause of surgical site infections, which affect approximately 300,000 to 500,000 Americans each year.(2,3) These infections occur when bacteria and other microorganisms, naturally found on the patient's skin or on the hands of a health care worker, enter the body through an incision site. Infection following surgery can be a devastating problem, leading to re-hospitalization or need for additional surgery or treatment. It is estimated that surgical site infections result in annual cost to hospitals of approximately $7.4 billion.(3)

"Surgical site infections pose a major health threat to patients, and are costly for the health care system," said Cindi Crosby, vice president of global medical affairs, infection prevention, with CareFusion. "This study adds to the growing clinical body of evidence that supports use of ChloraPrep for skin prepping prior to surgery."

About the Study

This randomized, prospective study evaluated 150 patients undergoing shoulder surgery after being prepared with ChloraPrep, iodine or DuraPrep. The goal of the study was to examine the native bacteria presence around the shoulder and determine the efficacy of three different surgical skin preparation products on the eradication of bacteria from the shoulder. Funding of this study was provided as an unrestricted educational grant by CareFusion, manufacturer of ChloraPrep.