Chlorhexidine-alcohol versus povidone-iodine as preoperative skin antisepsis for prevention of surgical site infection in cesarean delivery-a pilot randomized control trial

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of chlorhexidine-alcohol and povidone-iodine as preoperative antiseptic skin preparation for prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) after cesarean delivery (CD). Materials and methods: A total of 311 eligible women who underwent CS were recruited in the study after fulfilling all the eligibility and exclusion criteria. Patients were randomized into two groups (153 in chlorhexidine-alcohol group and 158 in povidone-iodine group) by a computer-generated randomization table. Patients were followed for a period of 30 days in postoperative period to monitor for SSI. Results: The rate of SSI in the chlorhexidine-alcohol group is 5.4% and that of the povidone-iodine group is 8.6%. E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii were the most common organisms isolated. E. coli was found in 9.5% of the total SSI cases. Conclusions: The study found that the patients who received chlorhexidine-alcohol as skin antiseptic had less chance of developing SSI than those who received povidone-iodine; however, it did not reach a statistical significance.

Automated summary

This study compared the efficacy of chlorhexidine-alcohol and povidone-iodine as preoperative antiseptic skin preparation for preventing surgical site infection (SSI) after cesarean delivery. The results showed that patients who received chlorhexidine-alcohol had a slightly lower rate of SSI compared to those who received povidone-iodine, but the difference was not statistically significant.