Résumé :
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[BDSP. Notice produite par INIST-CNRS 5Z5R0xvL. Diffusion soumise à autorisation]. Context Surgical site infections prolong hospital stays, are among the leading nosocomial causes of morbidity, and a source of excess medical costs. Clinical studies comparing the risk of nosocomial infection after different hand antisepsis protocols are scarce. Objective To compare the effectiveness of hand-cleansing protocols in preventing surgical site infections during routine surgical practice. Design Randomized equivalence trial. Setting Six surgical services from teaching and nonteaching hospitals in France. Patients A total of 4387 consecutive patients who underwent clean and clean-contaminated surgery between January 1,2000, and May 1,2001. Interventions Surgical services used 2 hand-cleansing methods alternately every other month : a hand-rubbing protocol with 75% aqueous alcoholic solution containing propanol-1, propanol-2, and mecetronium etilsulfate ; and a hand-scrubbing protocol with antiseptic preparation containing 4% povidone iodine or 4% chlorhexidine gluconate. Main Outcome Measures Thirty-day surgical site infection rates were the primary end point ; operating department teams'tolerance of and compliance with hand antisepsis were secondary end points. Results The 2 protocols were comparable in regard to surgical site infection risk factors. Surgical site infection rates were 55 of 2252 (2.44%) in the hand-rubbing protocol and 53 of 2135 (2.48%) in the hand-scrubbing protocol, for a difference of 0.04% (95% confidence interval, - 0.88% to 0.96%). Based on subsets of personnel, compliance with the recommended duration of hand antisepsis was better in the hand-rubbing protocol of the study compared with the hand-scrubbing protocol (44% vs 28%, respectively ; P=008), as was tolerance, with less skin dryness and less skin irritation after aqueous solution use. Conclusions Hand-rubbing with aqueous alcoholic solution, preceded by a 1 - minute nonantiseptic hand wash before each surgeon's first procedure of the day and before any other procedure if the hands were soiled, was as effective as traditional hand-scrubbing with antiseptic soap in preventing surgical site infections. The hand-rubbing protocol was better tolerated by the surgical teams and improved compliance with hygiene guidelines. Hand-rubbing with liquid aqueous alcoholic solution can thus be safely used as an alternative to traditional surgical hand-scrubbing.
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