[Comparative study of the effects of a local antibiotic and a local antiseptic in emergency hand surgery]

An open randomised comparative study was conducted in patients presenting with a hand injury requiring a surgical operation, in order to compare the efficacy of topical application of rifamycin SV with that of iodinated polyvidone dermal solution, in terms of the quality and rate of healing evaluated by the clinician, 268 patients were included in the study and 223 of them participated in the analysis of the results. Analysis of the results demonstrated the following conclusions: signs of infection developed in 8 patients in the rifamycin SV group (7%) and in 20 patients in the iodinated polyvidone group (18.5%). This difference was significant (p = 0.011) in favour of rifamycin SV. The rate of healing was considered to be rapid in 10% of patients in the rifamycin SV group and in 4% of patients in the iodinated polyvidone group. It was considered to be slow in 14% of the subjects in the rifamycin SV group and in 21% of those in the iodinated polyvidone group. This difference was also significant in favour of the rifamycin SV group (p = 0.038). In terms of local tolerance, 32 patients equally distributed between the two treatment groups developed signs of cutaneous intolerance.