Chlorhexidine better than iodine to prevent SSIs after C-sections

Editor's Note

The use of chlorhexidine and alcohol for preoperative skin preparation resulted in a significantly lower risk of surgical site infections (SSIs)  after cesarean deliveries than iodine and alcohol in this study.

Those who had the chlorhexidine prep had a 4% infection rate, which is nearly half that of patients who had the iodine prep (7.3%).

The study included 1,147 patients who had cesarean deliveries at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis. This is the largest study comparing any two antiseptics at any surgical procedure, the authors note.