Surgical hand disinfection using alcohol: the effects of alcohol type, mode and duration of application

Due to their strong antimicrobial activity, rapid action, good dermal tolerance and ease of application, alcohol-based hand rubs are recommended for pre-operative preparation of the surgical team's hands. Using the EN 12791 protocol, three commercial products containing either mixtures of propan-1-ol and propan-2-ol or ethanol at total alcohol concentrations (w/w) between 73% (propanols) and 78.2% (ethanol), as the main active agents, were tested with a shortened application of 1.5 min rather than the usual 3 min. Preparation A containing 30% propan-1-ol and 45% propan-2-ol not only passed the test at this short application but even exceeded, though not significantly, the efficacy of the reference disinfection procedure in EN 12791 when applied for 3 min. Preparation B containing 45% propan-1-ol and 28% propan-2-ol fulfilled the required standard whereas the ethanol (78.2%)-based product C did not (P<0.1). This demonstrates that some, but not all, alcohol-based hand rubs pass the test even within 1.5 min, emphasising the importance of validation before a product is introduced into clinical practice. In another series with both preparation A and 60% v/v propan-1-ol, it was demonstrated that the additional inclusion of the forearms into the disinfection procedure, not required by EN 12791 but normal practice in surgical hand disinfection, does not significantly interfere with the antimicrobial efficacy of either hand rub. Therefore, the mode of test procedure in EN 12791 does not need specific adaptation for hand disinfection by surgical teams.