Chapter 2: Table of Contents
Soaps and Antiseptics used for Surgeon and Patient Preparation
Numerous scrub products are available to eliminate and control the bacterial flora on the surgeon’s hands and on the skin of the patient prior to surgical incision. The main scrub products used at this institution are povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine gluconate, and alcohol.
The ideal scrub products possess a broad spectrum of activity, a rapid antimicrobial activity, are not irritating to the skin and allow for prolonged residual activity. Chlorhexidine and iodophors fulfill these criteria the best.
