(March 15, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

Bathing patients who have been severely injured with cloths containing an antiseptic known as chlorhexidine can reduce their risk of developing an infection while being treated in an intensive care unit, according to research published in the Archives of Surgery.

Here is some information on hospital acquired infections:

•    Up to half are considered to be preventable

•    They can result in longer hospital stays, more serious illness, and even death

•    They can dramatically increase healthcare costs

Researchers from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle analyzed  infection rates among over 500 severely injured trauma patients who were treated in a hospital intensive care unit before and after the unit instituted a new protocol involving bathing patients daily with cloths containing chlorhexidine. Before instituting the new protocol, roughly half the patients were bathed without using the antiseptic. After instituting the protocol, the remaining patients received daily baths using the chlorhexidine-containing cloths.

Bloodstream infections related to the use of catheters were four times lower among those who received the chlorhexidine baths. While these baths did not reduce the rate of pneumonia associated with ventilator use, they were associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia caused by the troublesome antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as MRSA. The antiseptic baths also reduced the rate at which patients became carriers of bacteria that commonly cause problematic hospital infections.

Today’s research highlights how a simple protocol using antiseptic cloths can help reduce the risk of potentially deadly hospital-acquired infections among the severely injured.