Abstract
The effect of wiping skin instantly after application of 10% aqueous povidone-iodine (PI) was studied in 12 subjects and compared to the effects of 0.05% chlorhexidine (CH). These agents were topically applied once at the blood access site, then wiped with aseptic gauzes after up to 15 seconds (instant wipe method) before needle insertion. When PI was used, there were no bacterial colonies detected on the skin cultures from eleven of 12 sites. When CH was used, the colony counts were reduced after each procedure; however, viable bacteria were absent in only one of 7 sites. PI showed a significantly stronger disinfecting effect than in the CH based on this method (the odds rate 66, 95% confidence interval [3.5-1254]). These results suggested that PI with instant wipe method could be a safe procedure for inserting needles for blood access.
