JUNE 22, 2018

Chlorhexidine Bathing May Not Be More Effective Than Soap and Water to Prevent CDI

By Thomas Rosenthal

SAN ANTONIO—Bathing ICU patients every other day with a 2% chlorhexidine gluconate solution did not prevent hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) any better than soap and water bathing.

The researchers used data from the previously published CHG-BATH (CHlorhexidine Gluconate BATHing) randomized trial that found that chlorhexidine bathing every other day decreased the risk for four hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) by 44.5% compared with soap and water