AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control
Volume 37, Issue 4 , Pages 289-293 , May 2009

Surgical hand rub: Influence of duration of application on the immediate and 3-hours effects of n-propanol and isopropanol

  • Miranda Suchomel, Dipl.-Ing

      Affiliations

    • Department of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Miranda Suchomel, Dipl.-Ing, Department of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria.
    • ,
  • Walter Koller, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
    • ,
  • Michael Kundi, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Public Health, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
    • ,
  • Manfred L. Rotter, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria

References 

  1. WHO. WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (advanced draft). Available at: www.who.int/patientsafety/information_centre/ghhad_download_link/en. Accessed April 2006.
  2. Fürbringer P. Zur Desinfection der Hände des Arztes. Dtsch med Wochenschr. 1888;48:985–987
  3. Larson EL, Butz AM, Gullette DL, Laughon BA. Alcohol for surgical scrubbing?. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1990;11:139–143
  4. Boyce JM, Pittet D. Guideline for hand hygiene in health-care settings. Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. MMWR. 2002;51:1–45
  5. Price PB. The bacteriology of normal skin: a new quantitative test applied to a study of the bacterial flora and the disinfectant action of mechanical cleansing. J Infect Dis. 1938;6:301–318
  6. Tucci VJ, Stone AM, Thompson C, Isenberg HD, Wise L. Studies of the surgical scrub. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1977;145:415–416
  7. Galle PC, Homesley HD, Rhyne AL. Reassessment of the surgical scrub. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1978;147:215–218
  8. Parienti JJ, Thibon P, Heller R, Le Roux Y, von Theobald P, Bensadoun H, et al. Hand-rubbing with an aqueous alcoholic solution vs traditional surgical hand-scrubbing and 30-day surgical site infection rates. JAMA. 2002;288:722–727
  9. European Norm (EN) 12791. Chemical disinfectants and antiseptics—surgical hand disinfection—test method and requirement (phase 2/step 2). Bussels: Comité Européen de Normalisation; 2005.
  10. ÖGHMP . Richtlinie der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Hygiene, Mikrobiologie und Präventivmedizin (ÖGHMP) vom 4. November 1980 zur Prüfung der Desinfektionswirkung von Verfahren für die Chirurgische Händedesinfektion. (Guideline of the Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (ÖGHMP) dated November 4, 1980, for the evaluation of procedures for surgical hand disinfection). Hyg Med. 1981;6:10–16
  11. DGHM . Richtlinien für die Prüfung und Bewertung chemischer Desinfektionsverfahren. (Guidelines for testing and evaluation of chemical disinfection procedures). Zbl Hyg Bakt I Abt Orig B. 1981;172:528–556
  12. Hingst V, Juditzki I, Heeg P, Sonntag HG. Evaluation of the efficacy of surgical hand disinfection following a reduced application time of 3 instead of 5 minutes. J Hosp Infect. 1992;20:79–86
  13. Kappstein I, Schulgen G, Waninger J. Daschner F. Mikrobiologische und ökonomische Untersuchungen über verkürzte Verfahren für die chirurgische Händedesinfektion. Chirurg. 1993;64:400–405
  14. Babb JR, Davies JG, Ayliffe GA. A test procedure for evaluating surgical hand disinfection. J Hosp Infect. 1991;18:41–49
  15. Bernard HR. The effect of scrub time on hand antisepsis using povidone-iodine surgical scrub for 3-, 5-, 10-minute scrubs. In:  Polk EN editors. Medical and surgical antisepsis with betadine microbicides. Norwalk, CT: Purdue Frederick; 1972;p. 95–97
  16. Lowbury EJ, Lilly HA, Bull JP. Methods for disinfection of hands and operation sites. Br Med J. 1964;2:531–536
  17. Rotter ML. Hand washing and hand disinfection. In:  Mayhall G editors. Hospital epidemiology and infection control. 3rd ed. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2004;p. 1727–1746
  18. Suchomel M, Gnant G, Weinlich M, Rotter M. Surgical hand rub: studies on the influence of alcohol species, duration and mode of application. J Hosp Infect (in press).
  19. Rotter ML, Kampf G, Suchomel M, Kundi M. Long-term effect of a 1.5-minute surgical hand rub with a propanol-based hand rub on the resident hand flora. J Hosp Infect. 2007;66:84–85
  20. Kampf G, Ostermeyer C, Heeg P. Surgical hand disinfection with a propanol-based hand rub: equivalence of shorter application times. J Hosp Infect. 2005;59:304–310
  21. Rotter ML, Kundi M, Suchomel M, Harke HP, Kramer A, Ostermeyer C, et al. Reproducibility and workability of the European test standard EN 12791 regarding the effectiveness of surgical hand antiseptics: a randomized, multicenter trial. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2006;27:935–939

PII: S0196-6553(08)00868-7

doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2008.09.026

AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control
Volume 37, Issue 4 , Pages 289-293 , May 2009

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