Jehle Karlheinz, Jarrett Nick, Matthews Shaun
Department of General Surgery, Worthing Hospital, Worthing, UK.
Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2008 Jan;90(1):22-4. doi: 10.1308/003588408X242277.
There is a growing trend to use alcohol-based hand disinfectants in clinical practice. In addition to their anti-bacterial efficacy, these disinfectants offer an alternative to traditional surgical hand disinfection agents that can save water in the operating theatre.
The amounts of water and soap used during traditional surgical hand disinfection with antiseptic soap preparations were measured and water usage over a 1-year period was estimated. Costs of traditional disinfection agents were compared with alcohol-based agents.
One surgical hand disinfection episode with traditional agents used 18.5 l of water. During 15,500 procedures performed at our institution over a 1-year period, 931,938 l of water were used which could have been saved had alcohol-based agents been used. Cost per episode of hand disinfection depends on the amounts used and is not higher compared to traditional agents.
The benefits of using an alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectant may include significant water savings, in addition to previously published advantages of improved efficacy. When deciding on the method of surgical hand disinfection, careful thought should be given to the use of water as a resource. Surgeons should be aware of the environmental impact of their profession.
在临床实践中，使用酒精基手部消毒剂的趋势日益增长。除了具有抗菌功效外，这些消毒剂还为传统手术手部消毒剂提供了一种替代方案，可在手术室节约用水。
测量了使用抗菌肥皂制剂进行传统手术手部消毒期间的用水量和肥皂用量，并估算了一年期间的用水量。将传统消毒剂的成本与酒精基消毒剂进行了比较。
使用传统消毒剂进行一次手术手部消毒需用水18.5升。在我们机构一年期间进行的15500例手术中，共用水931938升，如果使用酒精基消毒剂，这些水本可节省下来。每次手部消毒的成本取决于使用量，与传统消毒剂相比并不更高。
使用酒精基手术手部消毒剂的益处可能包括显著节约用水，此外还有先前已公布的功效提高等优点。在决定手术手部消毒方法时，应仔细考虑水作为一种资源的利用。外科医生应意识到其职业对环境的影响。
