The Severity of Wound Infection in Washing the Primary Prep Area with 70% Alcohol and Normal Saline in the Orthopedic Surgery Prepped with Povidone-Iodine: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Despite significant advances in patient treatment, infection remains a complication after surgery. The present study compared the incidence and severity of wound infection with two methods of washing the primary prep area with 70% alcohol and normal saline in patients who are candidates for orthopedic surgery in Kowsar Hospital of Sanandaj, Iran. Methods: This single-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted on 190 candidates for upper limb orthopedic surgery aged 18 to 65. Patients were randomly assigned to two alcohol and normal saline groups based on the table of random numbers. The primary outcome of this clinical trial was the incidence and severity of wound infection after surgery, which was measured by the standard scale of the Asepsis index. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 23, and statistical values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Patients’ hospitalization duration in the intervention group was (3.02±1.04 days) and in the control group (2.86±1.03 days) showed no significant statistical difference (p=0.297). The frequency of wound infection in the alcohol group was lower than in the normal saline group. this difference was statistically significant (p=0.023). Also, the severity of wound infection in the 70% alcohol group (Mean=5.12, SD=3.19) was lower than in the normal saline group (Mean=7.69, SD=4.12). This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: The present clinical trial showed that the incidence and severity of wound infection after surgery were lower in the group washing the skin of the surgical area with alcohol compared to the group washing with normal saline.