Efficacy comparison of chlorhexidine and iodine preparation in reduction of surgical site infection: A systemic review and meta-analysis

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#anti-infective-agents-local #chlorhexidine #humans #iodine #preoperative-care

Efficacy comparison of chlorhexidine and iodine preparation in reduction of surgical site infection: A systemic review and meta-analysis

Li et al., 2022 | Int J Nurs Stud | Meta Analysis

Citation

Li Li, Wang Yu, Wang Shouyan. Efficacy comparison of chlorhexidine and iodine preparation in reduction of surgical site infection: A systemic review and meta-analysis. Int J Nurs Stud. 2022-Mar;127:104059. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104059

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine are the most common disinfectants used in preoperative skin preparation. However, there is no consistent conclusion regarding the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) and bacterial culture data. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine in the prevention of postoperative SSI and relevant bacterial data. DESIGN: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis SETTINGS: N/A PARTICIPANTS: N/A METHOD: Literature relevant to "skin antisepsis" and "surgical site infections" was retrieved from PUBMED, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINHAL and CNKI. The incidence of SSI was the primary outcome, while the secondary outcome was bacterial data from the infected incision. All data were analyzed with Revman 5.3 and Stata Statistical Software. RESULTS: A total of 36 studies were identified in this study, which included 16,872 participants. This study revealed that chlorhexidine is superior to povidone-iodine in the prevention of postoperative SSI (risk ratio [RR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-0.87; p = 0.019, I2 = 39%). Further meta-regression analysis revealed that the effect of chlorhexidine was directly associated with the type of incision, but failed to differentiate between the subgroups divided according to the type of incision. With respect to bacteria colonization, the most common bacteria for chlorhexidine arm were propionibacterium's, while the most common bacteria for the iodine arm were staphylococci species. CONCLUSION: In comparison to povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine showed better results in preventing postoperative SSI.

Key Findings

A total of 36 studies were identified in this study, which included 16,872 participants. This study revealed that chlorhexidine is superior to povidone-iodine in the prevention of postoperative SSI (risk ratio [RR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-0.87; p = 0.019, I2 = 39%). Further meta-regression analysis revealed that the effect of chlorhexidine was directly associated with the type of incision, but failed to differentiate between the subgroups divided according to the type of incisi

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 16872
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local
  • Chlorhexidine
  • Humans
  • Iodine
  • Preoperative Care
  • Surgical Wound Infection

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: iodine

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09