The prevention of wound contamination by skin organisms by the pre-operative application of an iodophor impregnated plastic adhesive drape.

Prior to preparing the skin for surgery, samples for bacterial growth were taken from 107 patients. The same site was sampled after preparation with povidone-iodine and at the end of surgical procedure the deep part of the wound was also sampled. This demonstrated that the wounds of 15% of patients became contaminated by organisms present on the skin prior to disinfection. A comparison was made with a further 122 patients undergoing hip surgery in whom an iodophor impregnated plastic adhesive drape ('Ioban') was applied to the operation site 24 hours prior to surgery. Bacterial sampling of the wound at the end of the procedure showed that wound contamination was reduced from 15% to 1.6% by this method. When patients are to have implant surgery, the protection from contamination by skin organisms afforded by 'Ioban' drape is likely to prove a valuable tool in the fight to prevent infection.