THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PREOPERATIVE BODY BATH WITH CHLORHEXIDINE IN THE PREVETION OF SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS

Introduction: Although the aetiology of surgical site infections (SSI) is multifactorial, preoperative body preparation with antiseptic agents seems to play an important role in prevention of SSI as it significantly reduces the microbial flora of the skin. Purpose: was to investigate the effectiveness of preoperative body bath or shower with chlorhexidine in the prevention of SSI. Methodology: A systematic review was conducted. A bibliography was searched of the Doctoral Thesis and Pubmed Archive databases, published from 2000 to 2021.Randomized or semi-experimental studies were selected, intervention studies with a control group, in which the population were adult patients undergoing any pure surgery and the intervention included any preoperative body preparation with chlorhexidine compared to any other antiseptic agent or placebo or simple soap washing. The main outcome investigated was the occurrence of postoperative infections while the secondary outcome was any reaction to chlorhexidine. Results: Six studies were selected. The studies (n=4) concerned orthopedic surgeries mainly knee arthroplasty, plastic surgery (n=1) and microsurgery in skin cancer (n=1). Most (4/6) studies have shown that bathing with chlorhexidine and especially the application of a special preoperative skin preparation protocol (2/4) can lead to a reduction in SSI. One of the studies concluded that the chlorhexidine body bath preoperatively did not reduce SSI while another could not reach a clear conclusion. Conclusion: The body bath with chlorhexidine preoperative skin preparation with one application does not seem to protect against the appearance of SSI. However, intensive preparation and implementation of a strict preoperative skin preparation protocol with chlorhexidine is likely to reduce SSI without risk and cost