COMPARISON BETWEEN CHLORHEXIDINE ALCOHOL & POVIDONE IODINE IN PREVENTING SURGICAL SITE INFECTION IN CLEAN CONTAMINATED CASES

Submission: 01 October 2025 | Acceptance: 20 November 2025 | Publication: 09 December 2025

Dr. Saba Abbas,2Dr. Shahid Rasul

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE

To compare the frequency of surgical site infection in chlorhexidine alcohol versus povidone iodine among patients undergoing clean contaminated surgery.

METHODOLOGY

A randomized controlled trial was conducted at JPMC, Karachi, including 310 patients aged 18–70 years undergoing clean-contaminated surgeries. Participants were randomly assigned to receive preoperative skin preparation with either chlorhexidine-alcohol (Group A) or povidone-iodine (Group B). Surgical site infections were assessed over 30 days postoperatively based on clinical and laboratory criteria. Data were analysed using SPSS version 26 with a 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 33.9 ± 14.4 years. Gender distribution was comparable between groups, with males comprising 56.1% in the chlorhexidine-alcohol group and 58.1% in the povidone-iodine group. The incidence of surgical site infections was significantly lower in the chlorhexidine-alcohol group (9.0%) compared to povidone-iodine (16.8%) (p = 0.042). Subgroup analysis revealed greater efficacy of chlorhexidine-alcohol among females and patients aged 20–35 years.

CONCLUSION

It is to be concluded that chlorhexidine alcohol is more effective than povidone iodine in preventing surgical site infections during clean-contaminated surgeries. This highlights its potential as the preferred choice for preoperative antiseptics to reduce infection risks.

KEYWORDS

Alcohol, Chlorhexidine, Povidone Iodine, Surgical Outcomes, Surgical Site Infection