ArticleBMJ open2026
Hypochlorous acid testing studies: elective surgeries (Hypoclates:Elective).
Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSurgical site infections (SSI) impose a substantial clinical and economic burden on healthcare systems, accounting for approximately 15% of nosocomial infections. While intraoperative lavage is predominantly performed with isotonic solutions, its efficacy in preventing SSI remains unproven. Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) has emerged as a promising antimicrobial agent due to its potent microbicidal properties and high biocompatibility. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate whether the systematic introduction of a standardised intraoperative lavage with HOCl reduces the incidence of SSI in patients undergoing elective visceral surgery compared with conventional irrigation with isotonic saline. It is hypothesised that the implementation of HOCl-based lavage will lead to a significant reduction in the composite rate of superficial, deep and organ/space SSIs during the immediate postoperative hospitalisation period.
methodsThis is a single-centre, prospective, sequential, quasi-experimental trial conducted at Heidelberg University Hospital. A prospective cohort of approximately 500 adult patients undergoing elective visceral surgery with HOCl-based lavage (Granudacyn) will be compared with a sequential retrospective control cohort of 500 patients treated with isotonic solution. The primary outcome is the incidence of SSI (superficial, deep or organ/space) according to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, assessed until hospital discharge or postoperative day 10 (±2 days). Secondary outcomes include length of stay in the intensive care unit and hospital, duration of antibiotic therapy and the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University (S-522/2025). Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at international surgical congresses to inform clinical practice and future SSI prevention guidelines. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00038635.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.