Chlorhexidine-alcohol versus povidone-iodine as preoperative skin antisepsis for prevention of Surgical Site Infection in Cesarean Section

Abstract 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 Section(CS).Materials and Methods: A total of 311 eligible women who underwent CS were recruited in the study after fulfilling all the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were randomized into two groups (153 in Chlorhexidine-alcohol Group and 158 in povidone-iodine Group) by computer-generated randomization table. Patients were followed for a period of 30 days in post operative period to monitor for SSI.Results: The overall rate of SSI was 7%, out of which chlorhexidine-alcohol group had 5.4% and povidone-iodine group had 8.6%. E.coli, K.pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii were the most common organism 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 statistical significance.