Studies in the management of the contaminated wound. V. An assessment of

---

the effectiveness of pHisoHex and Betadine surgical scrub solutions. Custer J. Edlich RF. Prusak M. Madden J. Panek P. Wangensteen OH. American Journal of Surgery. [JC:3z4] 121(5):572-5, 1971 May. - the purpose of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of Betadine and pHisoHex surgical scrub solutions in contaminated wounds - the results of the study demonstrate that these surgical scrub solutions were harmful to the wound and had no therapeutic value; - the deleterious effects of these scrub solutions appeared to be the result of their detergent content; - the antiseptic agents contained in these scrub solutions exerted a favorable influence on the contaminated wound but their beneficial effects did not eliminate the harmful effects of the detergent; - scrubbing contaminated wounds with either Betadine or pHisoHex surgical scrub increased the wound's suseptability to infection; - however, the chances of infection deminished when the detergent was taken out of the antiseptic; - the iodophor in Betadine surgical scrub provided significant protection against the development of wound infection; - similarly the antiseptic hexachlorophene had a lower incidence of infection than control wounds (antiseptic in pHisoHex) Note: - Betadine surgical scrub contains an iodophor (polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine) and an anionic detergent; - the combination of of iodine with an organic solubilizing agent or with a surfactant yields an iodophor; - these compounds slowly liberate free iodine when diluted with water - the free iodine is germicidal;