From the patient ’s perspective , an infection delays healing , can increase time away from work or family , and can cause additional pain and complications ( eg , sepsis , long-term disabilities , death ) .
urgical site infections ( SSIs ) continue to cause significant patient harm despite many advances in Sinfection prevention .
The negative effects of SSIs on morbidity , mortality , and the cost of care has kept SSI reduction a top priority for health care organizations worldwide .
A 2011 systematic review found that approximately 55 % of SSIs in the United States may be preventable by using evidence -based guidelines .
Preventing surgical site infections: a randomized, open-label trial of nasal mupirocin ointment and nasal povidone-iodine solution.
BACKGROUND Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus colonization before surgery reduces risk of surgical site infection ( SSI ) . The regimen of nasal mupirocin ointment and topical chlorhexidine gluconate is effective , but cost and patient compliance may be a barrier . Nasal povidone-iodine solution may provide an alternative to mupirocin . METHODS We conducted an investigator-initiated , open-label , r and omized trial comparing SSI after arthroplasty or spine fusion in patients receiving topical chlorhexidine wipes in combination with either twice daily application of nasal mupirocin ointment during the 5 days before surgery or 2 applications of povidone-iodine solution into each nostril within 2 hours of  surgical incision .  The primary study end point was deep SSI within the 3 months after surgery . RESULTS In the modified intent-to-treat analysis , a deep SSI developed after 14 of 855 surgical procedures in the mupirocin group and 6 of 842 surgical procedures in the povidone-iodine group ( P = .1 ) ; S. aureus deep SSI developed after 5 surgical procedures in the mupirocin group and 1 surgical procedure in the povidone-iodine group ( P = .2 ) . In the per protocol analysis , S. aureus deep SSI developed in 5 of 763 surgical procedures in the mupirocin group and 0 of 776 surgical procedures in the povidone-iodine group ( P = .03 ) . CONCLUSIONS Nasal povidone-iodine may be considered as an alternative to mupirocin in a multifaceted approach to reduce SSI . TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trials.gov identifier : NCT01313182
From the patient ’s perspective , an infection delays healing , can increase time away from work or family , and can cause additional pain and complications ( eg , sepsis , long-term disabilities , death ) .
urgical site infections ( SSIs ) continue to cause significant patient harm despite many advances in Sinfection prevention .
The negative effects of SSIs on morbidity , mortality , and the cost of care has kept SSI reduction a top priority for health care organizations worldwide .
A 2011 systematic review found that approximately 55 % of SSIs in the United States may be preventable by using evidence -based guidelines .