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CompletedNCT01782573Updated Feb 4, 2013

The Efficacy of Chlorhexidine Gluconate Pre - Disinfection Scrubbing in Preventing Surgical Site Infections for Hepatectomy Patients

A Phase 4 interventional study of Chlorhexidine gluconate and 0.9% Sodium Chloride in Liver Tumors, sponsored by Changhua Christian Hospital. Completed at 1 site in Taiwan. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 92 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2013-02-04.

Sponsored by Changhua Christian Hospital · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
100
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 92 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To test whether pre - disinfection skin scrub with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate is more effective on the reduction of surgical site microbial colonization and subsequent infection than is normal saline.

Read the detailed description

Surgical site infections (SSIs) following elective surgical procedures occur most commonly as a result of colonization by the patient's native skin flora . The most common pathogens causing SSIs are Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococci , components of normal skin flora . Therefore, preoperative disinfection of the surgical site with an antiseptic skin preparation is standard practice before any surgical intervention to decrease skin microbial counts before incision . It is considered an important step in limiting surgical wound contamination and preventing infection.

A variety of skin-preparation agents and methods are available for preventing surgical site infections and the techniques for preoperative cleansing of the skin vary among hospitals and surgeons. There is a pressing need to elucidate the effect of cutaneous disinfection with chlorhexidine gluconate ( CHG ) in prevention of surgical site infections.

Many studies demonstrated that comparisons with cutaneous disinfection with povidone-iodine, disinfection with CHG before insertion of an intravascular device and for post-infection site care can substantially reduce the incidence of device-related infection .

Hence, this study aimed to test whether an additional chlorhexidine gluconate scrub followed by a routine disinfection would lower the incidence of surgical site culture and subsequent infection after hepatic resection. This data will show the originality and clinical importance of a cutaneous pre-disinfection scrubbing solution for such risk patients with hepatectomy.

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Conditions studied

  • Liver Tumors

Keywords

  • pre - disinfection scrubbing solution
  • surgical site culture
  • surgical site infection
  • liver tumors
  • hepatectomy
  • chlorhexidine gluconate
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In context

Infections

6,687 studies on the registry are indexed under Infections; 807 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 100 is below the median of 120 across 4,200 interventional studies indexed under Infections.

Browse Infections studies →

Lead sponsor

Changhua Christian Hospital is the lead sponsor of 74 studies on the registry; 10 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 92 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • patient who received elective hepatectomy for liver tumors

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • patients who were younger than 18 years of age
  • patients who had a history of radiation to the operative sites
  • patients who received repeat hepatectomy
  • patients who had a history of allergy to CHG, ethyl alcohol or povidone - iodine
  • patients whose tumors were metastatic cancers
  • patients who had a preoperative active remote infection
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
100 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Chlorhexidine gluconate ( CHG )

    (i)a sterile washcloth was saturated with 60ml of chlorhexidine gluconate (4%) cleansing solution and generously applied to the predefined surgical site followed by vigorous scrubbing for 3 min. (ii) after being patted with a sterile towel, the standardized 3-step disinfection was performed (iii) the applied iodine-alcohol disinfectant contained 70 ml of ethyl alcohol and 10 g of povidone-iodine per 100 ml

    Drug: Chlorhexidine gluconate

  • Active comparator
    0.9% Sodium Chloride ( N/S )

    (i)a sterile washcloth was saturated with 60ml of sodium chloride (0.9%) and generously applied to the predefined surgical site followed by vigorous scrubbing for 3 min. (ii) after being patted with a sterile towel, the standardized 3-step disinfection was performed (iii) the applied iodine-alcohol disinfectant contained 70 ml of ethyl alcohol and 10 g of povidone-iodine per 100 ml

    Drug: 0.9% Sodium Chloride

Interventions

  • DrugChlorhexidine gluconate

    (i)a sterile washcloth was saturated with 60ml of chlorhexidine gluconate (4%) cleansing solution and generously applied to the predefined surgical site followed by vigorous scrubbing for 3 min. (ii) after being patted with a sterile towel, the standardized 3-step disinfection was performed (iii) the applied iodine-alcohol disinfectant contained 70 ml of ethyl alcohol and 10 g of povidone-iodine per 100 ml

    Also known as: Antigerm, Hibiscrub

  • Drug0.9% Sodium Chloride

    (i)a sterile washcloth was saturated with 60ml of sodium chloride (0.9%) and generously applied to the predefined surgical site followed by vigorous scrubbing for 3 min. (ii) after being patted with a sterile towel, the standardized 3-step disinfection was performed (iii) the applied iodine-alcohol disinfectant contained 70 ml of ethyl alcohol and 10 g of povidone-iodine per 100 ml

    Also known as: normal saline

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. the positive rate of the baseline culture , the preoperative culture , and the postoperative culture

    1. Before surgical preparation while the patient was on the table in the operating room , we obtained the first set of aerobic culture from the predefined incision site as the baseline culture. 2. After skin scrubbing and disinfection , we obtained the second set of aerobic culture from the predefined incision site as the preoperative culture. 3. After closure of the wound , we obtained the third set of aerobic culture from the surgical site as the postoperative culture. 4. The result of culture was positive if bacteria were cultured from either stage of the surgical site sampling. 5. We compared the efficacy for eradicating aerobic bacterial pathogens ( reduction of positive culture )from the abdomen between the chlorhexidine gluconate scrubbing group and normal saline scrubbing group .

    Time frame: within 30 days after the operation

Secondary outcomes

  1. the post - operative surgical site infection

    Surgical site infection was using modified US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions for nosocomial infection and documented by visiting patients everyday during the duration of hospitalization after surgery . After discharge , patients were checked weekly in the outpatient clinic to assess the surgical sites infection . All surgical site infections were classified as superficial , deep wound , or organ / space infection . We compared the incidence of post - operative surgical site infection between the chlorhexidine gluconate scrubbing group and normal saline scrubbing group .

    Time frame: within 30 days after the operation

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Study locations

1 site
  • Changhua Christian Hospital
    Changhua, 500, Taiwan
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Noorani A, Rabey N, Walsh SR, Davies RJ. Systematic review and meta-analysis of preoperative antisepsis with chlorhexidine versus povidone-iodine in clean-contaminated surgery. Br J Surg. 2010 Nov;97(11):1614-20. doi: 10.1002/bjs.7214. PubMed 20878942 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 4, 2013, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01782573
Lead sponsor
Changhua Christian Hospital
Responsible party
Chen Yao - Li (MD, Changhua Christian Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 4, 2013
Start date
Oct 2011
Primary completion
Sep 2012
Completion
Sep 2012
Last update
Feb 4, 2013

Study contacts

YaoLi Chen, MD
principal investigator · Changhua Christian Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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