Abstract
Cesarean section (c-section) is becoming a popular option with 32.8% of the population choosing a surgical procedure over a vaginal delivery. Due to the increase of c-sections, infection rates have risen to a rate of 5.4 infections per 100 c-section operations. Surgical site infections are a large risk for any person having an invasive procedure. In our review of literature, we searched for the most advanced methods to reduce the risk of surgical site infections. We searched for various articles comparing iodine and chlorhexidine and found 14 articles that fit our inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria consisted of any literature that included information about surgical site infections, c-sections and preoperative skin preparation methods, along with literature related to iodine or chlorhexidine. Our exclusion criteria consisted of studies done prior to 2004 and articles that focused on intra-operative or post-operative preventative care. The review of literature was limited by three factors: (1) Multiple articles from other countries have researched chlorhexidine and iodine, but were not specific to the United States (2) Limited overlapping research topics between c-sections and surgical site infections (3) The results of the review of literature were not able to be tested. After studying and comparing the articles, the results showed that chlorhexidine is the most advanced antiseptic for preventing a surgical site infection after a c-section. Based on the review of literature, recommendations for the use of chlorhexidine should be enforced in hospitals that use iodine.
Keywords: c-section infection, c-section pre-op, iodine vs. chlorhexidine, iodine preoperative care, iodine skin care, chlorhexidine vs. iodine, skin antiseptics, iodine as antiseptic, chlorhexidine and infection, skin pre
