[Efficacy of various methods for preoperative vaginal antisepsis]

In a prospective clinical study we investigated 115 patients prior to vaginal surgical interventions to determine the antimicrobial efficacy of six different procedures for vaginal antisepsis. To sample the microorganisms we used a cotton swab moistened with a neutralising fluid. Immediately after the time of action of the antiseptic procedures (3 minutes), providone-iodine solution, applied undiluted or diluted 1:10, yielded the strongest median reduction of the vaginal flora (log RF 3.60 and 2.68, respectively). Of three detergents with antiseptic efficacy, octenidine 0.1% was the most efficient formula (log RF 2.32). After 30 minutes the log reduction factors (log RF) of almost all procedures (log RF 2.79-3.25) were in a fairly close range, excepting chlorohexidine 0.05% (log RF 2.07). Overall, the antiseptic detergents showed a marked residual effect, which was less pronounced, if at all, with providone-iodine solutions. A germ-reducing effect of povidone-iodine vaginal suppositories, applied 2 to 3 hrs prior to surgery, was not confirmed, while additional findings indicated that providone-iodine solution applied with the help of a vaginal douche yields a similarly strong germ reduction as the application by means of a ball swabs.