title: A comparison of pre-operative bathing with chlorhexidine-detergent and non-medicated soap in the prevention of wound infection.
abstract: In a 60-week cross-over study on 5536 patients in 20 wards of three city hospitals (two general and one orthopaedic), pre-operative bathing with chlorhexidine-detergent failed to influence the incidence of postoperative infection, in spite of the relatively high incidence of infection with skin organisms. Of the patients bathing pre-operatively with chlorhexidine-detergent, 5.4 per cent subsequently became infected (4.0 per cent of clean wounds) and of those bathing with unmedicated soap 4.9 per cent (3.5 per cent of clean wounds). A single pre-operative bath with chlorhexidine-detergent would, therefore, appear to be of dubious value in preventing postoperative wound infection.
mesh_terms: D001494:Baths / Q000379:methods*; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D012915:Soaps / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D012915:Soaps; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D002710:Chlorhexidine