BACTERIAL LOAD REDUCING CAPACITY OF MANUALLY PREPARED 70% ISOPROPANOL-SOAKED-COTTON ACROSS TIME

The Philippines, a lower-middle-income country burdened by infectious diseases, necessitates effective infection control measures such as proper skin antisepsis before venipuncture; this study aimed to determine the bacterial load reduction capacity of 70% isopropanol-soaked cotton stored for different durations compared to commercially prepared alcohol swabs, impacting safer phlebotomy practices.This experimental study is conducted at Our Lady of Fatima University -Laguna and volunteers were recruited from a community in Barangay Macabling, Santa Rosa, Laguna.Skin swabs were collected before and after antisepsis, cultured them on nutrient agar, and quantified bacterial growth across five groups: alcohol swab, zero-hour, eight-hour, 24-hour-soaked cotton, and a no-antisepsis control.Before antisepsis, the highest bacterial load was found in the 24-hour-soaked cotton (277.50 10 CFU/2 cm) and the lowest in the 8-hour-soaked cotton (62.00 10 CFU/2 cm).After antisepsis, the 8-hour-soaked cotton maintained the lowest bacterial count (15.00 10 CFU/2 cm), while the negative control had the highest (111.40 10 CFU/2 cm).Paired sample t-tests showed significant bacterial reduction in all antiseptic agents (p < 0.05).All preparations of 70% isopropanol, whether freshly soaked or stored for up to 24 hours, were equally effective in significantly reducing skin bacterial load.