Effect of Commercially Available Wound Irrigation Solutions on Uninfected Host Tissue in a Murine Model

Commercially available irrigation solutions are used to reduce bacterial contamination and prevent surgical site infections. However, the effect of these solutions on the healing capacity of tissue has not been well-established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 5 commercially available irrigation solutions on host tissue in a murine model.

There were 5 treatment groups: bacitracin, Clorpactin, Irrisept, Prontosan, Bactisure, and normal saline control. The irrigation solutions were applied to the wound for 30 seconds or 1 minute, as per the manufacturer's instructions, and then washed with normal saline. Mice were sacrificed at 3 days and 10 days. The tissue was examined histologically for inflammation, edema, granulation tissue formation, and re-epithelialization. Granulation tissue formation and re-epithelialization were surrogates for effective wound healing.

All of the irrigation solutions had negative effects on host tissue in the acute phase. The inflammation and edema were improved in the later phase (10 days). Recovery and healing of the open wounds were observed for all groups at 10 days. The antiseptic irrigation solutions had similar cytotoxic effects on host tissue at 3 days and did not have delayed or compromised wound healing at 10 days when compared to normal saline control.

Single short-duration use of these commercially available antiseptic irrigation solutions appears to be safe in an uninfected wound. Data from this study will provide surgeons with useful information regarding the safety of using antiseptic wound irrigation solutions intraoperatively for prevention of surgical site infections.