Effect of chlorhexidine scrub on postoperative bacterial counts

Chlorhexidine surgical scrub was left on the surgeon's hands in 50 orthopedic and vascular surgical procedures to determine whether the number of bacteria on the hands could be decreased postoperatively. After a standard 5-minute scrub, one hand was randomly rinsed prior to gloving; the other was lightly patted with a sterile towel, leaving some foam on the hand. The surgeon then gloved and performed the procedure in the usual manner. After the operation, both hands were immersed in a tryptic soy broth for 30 seconds. The broth was then cultured for bacterial species and number. Cases in which glove puncture occurred were not cultured. The results were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. There were fewer bacterial colonies isolated from the hand coated with chlorhexidine scrub versus the other; this difference was statistically significant (p less than 0.005). There also seemed to be a trend towards higher bacterial counts after longer operations; however, the difference was not significant. Neither surgeon noted any evidence of dermatitis during the study. These results suggest that leaving chlorhexidine scrub on the hands during surgery can lead to lower bacterial counts on the surgeon's hands and less chance of wound contamination should glove puncture occur.