Chlorhexidine spray versus single use sachets for skin preparation before regional nerve blockade for elective...

The importance of skin preparation before regional nerve blockade to prevent infection remains unchallenged. A multi-use spray chlorhexidine may have benefits over single use sachets in terms of convenience and cost, but its efficacy is unknown. We conducted a prospective randomised trial to compare spray and sachet chlorhexidine.

Elective caesarean section patients were randomised to receive chlorhexidine as a spray (chlorhexidine 0.5% in an alcoholic solution Hydrex DS Derma spray, Adams Healthcare, Leeds, UK) or sachet chlorhexidine (chlorhexidine 0.05% aqueous solution, Unisept, Seton. Leeds, UK) before a standardised combined spinal epidural technique. Skin colonisation was examined before skin preparation and again after epidural catheter removal.

Both techniques were effective in reducing skin colonisation (P=0.0001). There was no difference in effectiveness between the groups, with the spray reducing skin colonisation from 88.5% before to 3% after catheter removal, compared with 90% to 12% in the sachet group. Time to achieve skin preparation was significantly reduced in the spray group (2.6 min compared to 4.5 min; P=0.02). The spray cost per patient was 0.01 compared to sachet 0.33.

We suggest a chlorhexidine spray is as effective as single use sachets and is also quicker to apply and less costly.