Use of a detergent (pHisoderm) combined with hexachlorophene for skin disinfection.

PREOPERATIVE sterilization of the skin of patient and personnel has been shown to be the weakest link in the chain of sterile technic. 1 This report reviews the results of a clinical trial for one calendar year of a combination of a detergent (pHisoderm®) with a new antiseptic (3 per cent hexachlorophene) for the preoperative sterilization of both the operative field and the hands of the operating personnel. RATIONALE OF EXPERIMENT Previous experimental studies have shown that routine use of hexachlorophene (formerly known as G-11) resulted in a rapid, decided and permanent fall in the resident bacteria of the skin 2 and that the apparent retention of hexachlorophene in the skin resulted in a cumulative bacteriostatic effect on the resident flora. 2b Guild 3 showed that pHisoderm,® a detergent cream composed of a sulfonated ether petrolatum, lactic acid and wool fat cholesterols, possessed active emulsifying, sudsing and dispersing properties with