Evaluation of the Daily Chlorhexidine Bath Effect on Skin Colonization of the Intensive Care Unit Patients

Background: Chlorhexidine is a common and safe antibacterial agent applied for hand hygiene and skin decontamination. Given the fact that the majority of nosocomial infections are observed in the special units of hospitals, this study aimed to assess the effect of daily chlorhexidine bath on skin colonization of the patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 patients admitted to ICU of a teaching hospital affiliated to Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2016. Patients were selected through convenience sampling and were non-randomly divided into the two groups of intervention and control, each of which consisting of 40 individuals. Patients of the intervention group were bathed with a sponge soaked with chlorhexidine 2% solution daily for five days, whereas subjects of the control group received no particular skin bath or disinfecting intervention.

Results: The positive results of the first culture were not significantly different (P=0.63). However, 100% of the control subjects and 7.5% of the participants in the intervention group had positive results in the second culture. Fisher’s exact test indicated that the difference between the two groups was significant in this regard (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Given the reducing effect of bathing with chlorhexidine 2% on skin colonization and superficial skin infections, this method could be recommended as an approach for decreasing the risk of nosocomial infections in patients admitted to ICUs. However, further studies are suggested to evaluate these effects more precisely.