SynthesisBJS open2022
Efficacy of surgical skin preparation with chlorhexidine in alcohol according to the concentration required to prevent surgical site infection: meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BJS open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Chlorhexidine vs Povidone-Iodine and Incidence of Catheter-Related Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2026Pooled it
- Guideline
- Efficacy of different preoperative antiseptics in preventing a risk of surgical site infections: a systematic review and meta‑analysis of randomized controlled trials.Wideochirurgia i inne techniki maloinwazyjne = Videosurgery and other miniinvasive techniques · 2024Pooled it
- A Clinical Audit of Surgical Site Infection Surveillance in a Maxillo-Facial and Oral Surgery Unit in an Academic Hospital Complex in South Africa.International wound journal · 2025Observational
- Efficacy of aqueous olanexidine compared with alcohol-based chlorhexidine for surgical skin antisepsis regarding the incidence of surgical-site infections in clean-contaminated surgery: a randomized superiority trial.The British journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Stability of diluted chlorhexidine for skin testing in drug allergy evaluations.The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. Global · 2025Article
- Comparative evaluation of chlorhexidine gluconate with alcohol and polyhexamethylene biguanide with Tris-EDTA as antiseptic solutions for pre-operative skin preparation in dogs.Veterinary world · 2024Article
- Article
- Strategies to prevent surgical site infections in acute-care hospitals: 2022 Update.Infection control and hospital epidemiology · 2023Article
- Update on the Management of Surgical Site Infections.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA combination of chlorhexidine gluconate and alcohol (CHG-alcohol) is recommended for surgical skin preparation to prevent surgical site infection (SSI). Although more than 1 per cent CHG-alcohol is recommended to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infections, there is no consensus regarding the concentration of the CHG compound for the prevention of SSI.
methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. Four electronic databases were searched on 5 November 2020. SSI rates were compared between CHG-alcohol and povidone-iodine (PVP-I) according to the concentration of CHG (0.5 per cent, 2.0 per cent, 2.5 per cent, and 4.0 per cent).
resultsIn total, 106 of 2716 screened articles were retrieved for full-text review. The risk ratios (RRs) of SSI for 0.5 per cent (6 studies) and 2.0 per cent (4 studies) CHG-alcohol were significantly lower than those for PVP-I (RR = 0.71, 95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 0.52 to 0.97; RR = 0.52, 95 per cent c.i 0.31 to 0.86 respectively); however, no significant difference was observed in the compounds with a CHG concentration of more than 2.0 per cent.
conclusionsThis meta-analysis is the first study that clarifies the usefulness of an alcohol-based CHG solution with a 0.5 per cent or higher CHG concentration for surgical skin preparation to prevent SSI.
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Registered trials
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