The goal of skin disinfection before operation is to reduce the number of colony on the skin of operation field, keep the effective disinfection effect during operation and prevent the infection of operation site. The ideal skin disinfectant should have the advantages of spectrum antibacterial, safety, small irritation, quick onset and long duration. There are many kinds of disinfectants which can be used for skin disinfection in operation field. At present, chlorhexidine ethanol and iodophor are the most commonly used disinfectants in clinic, both of which have definite effectiveness in reducing microorganism. Another randomized controlled study found that compared with Iodophor, chlorhexidine skin disinfectant containing ethanol can significantly reduce the infection of the operation site.

 

Disinfection method:

 

1. Use sterile cotton ball (gauze) soaked with Iodophor disinfectant stock solution to locally wipe twice, and spiral wipe from inside to outside in the operation field and the part with an abduction of ≥ 15cm, with an effect of ≥ 2 minutes. If it is anus or infected wound, the disinfection method should be applied from the outside to the inside. The cotton ball (gauze) that has contacted the contaminated part cannot be used to wipe the clean part again.

 

2. Use the original solution of iodine tincture to disinfect, and then use 5% alcohol to deionize after drying slightly.

 

3. The effective content of chlorhexidine should be ≥ 2% and the alcohol content should be 63% - 77%. The local area should be wiped for 2-3 times. The action time should follow the product instructions.

 

4. Two oval forceps are commonly used for skin disinfection, one for the first time, and the other for the second or third time. ,

 

For the selection of skin disinfectants for different surgical sites, it is suggested to refer to its specialized evidence-based research to achieve the best disinfection effect. For face, anus, external genitalia and infant skin, disinfectant with small irritation and long-lasting effect should be selected.