[Influence of chlorhexidine on the flora of burns]

The effect of chlorhexidine baths on surface and in-depth colonization of burns was studied in 12 severely burned patients. 202 swabs and 202 biopsy specimens were cultured. Each patient was sampled before and after a daily chlorhexidine bath on several days. Subsequent to bathing, 41% of swabs became sterile and a 1.41 log10 reduction in the number of germs in biopsy specimens was observed. However, deep flora was unchanged in almost half of cases (43.3%) and was reduced by only 1 to 2 log10 in one-third of cases (35.3%). Chlorhexidine added to baths inhibited surface bacterial growth but had an inconsistent and limited effect on in-depth colonization.