Surgical sites following open fracture fixation with implants are at a higher risk of infection. However, treatment options for the same are lesser known. This Journal Watch summarizes the study – “Aqueous skin antisepsis before surgical fixation of open fractures (Aqueous-PREP): a multiple-period, cluster-randomized, crossover trial,” published in The Lancet 2022. Authors: PREP-IT Investigators.
The need for the study Chlorhexidine gluconate is a frequently used antiseptic for surgical wounds; however, its use for traumatic surgical wounds following a fracture is unclear where povidone-iodine is the preferred antiseptic. Therefore, this study assessed and compared the effect of povidone-iodine versus chlorhexidine gluconate on the risk of surgical site infection in patients requiring surgery for an open fracture. Table 1. Study details Findings Surgical site infection was…
