Skin Antisepsis to Prevent Surgical Site Infections

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common health care–associated infection. Often preventable, SSIs are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality as well as prolonged hospitalizations and readmissions, and these infections remain a vital challenge globally. Among the millions of patients undergoing surgical procedures annually in the US, an estimated 3% will develop SSIs, compared with nearly a quarter of patients in low- and middle-income countries. SSIs are well established as a key quality metric in health care, but also can be the difference between having a successful postoperative outcome or not. Thus, efforts to prevent SSIs through the standardization of perioperative processes and evidence-based preventive measures represent an important goal for health care institutions worldwide. Although the efficacy of preoperative skin antiseptics for preventing SSIs is well established, there is ongoing debate about which antiseptic is most effective for preventing SSIs.