Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. Various modifications in during surgical procedures are being investigated to decrease SSIs to minimum.
Objectives: To compare incidence of SSIs in clean elective surgeries with and without povidone iodine irrigation before skin closure.
Study design: Randomized controlled trial
Place and duration of study: Cantonment General Hospital, Rawalpindi, 1st March 2017 to 23rd October 2017
Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled study was designed. Six hundred patients undergoing clean elective surgeries were selected from operating room. Patients were divided into two equal groups. In one group povidone iodine irrigation was done before skin closure while in other group no irrigation was done. The wound infection was assessed within 30 days after surgery. Both groups were compared in terms of frequency of SSIs.
Results: The data of 600 patients (300 in each group) was analyzed. The mean age was 34.61 ± 14.28 years. Male to female ratio was 49.8%:51.2%. There was no difference among both groups in terms of age, gender, duration of surgery and hemoglobin levels (p values 0.381, 0.683, 0.516, 0.973 respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of frequency of SSIs (6.76% versus 8.69% for povidone iodine versus control group respectively, p value 0.527).
Conclusion: Wound irrigation before skin closure with povidone iodine solution does not affect incidence of surgical site infection.
Key words: Povidone-Iodine, surgical wound infection, surgical site infection
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