Pre-operative Preparation Using 2% Chlorhexidine Cloth For Shoulder Surgery

Efficacy of Home Pre-Operative Use of 2% Chlorhexidine Cloths Prior to Shoulder Surgery

We intend to determine how effective the use of a 2% Chlorhexidine Cloth is in terms of eliminating the bacterial load on patients undergoing shoulder surgery. We will be comparing the Chlorhexidine Cloths with a control group which will be performing an ordinary shower prior to surgery. At this time, it is standard of care to only take an ordinary shower the evening prior, and the morning of surgery.

The use of home preoperative chlorhexidine wash has been used in various surgical fields for the prevention of perioperative infections. However, it's use in shoulder surgery has not been published up to this point. The shoulder has a unique microbial flora due to the prevalence of Propionibacterium acnes, a bacteria implicated in surgical site infections after shoulder surgery. This study is designed to examine the efficacy of using a preoperative Sage 2% chlorhexidine cloth in reducing bacterial load in the pre-operative area as well as in reducing post-operative surgical site infections after shoulder surgery. This study will compare the rate of post-operative infections and also the rate of positive skin cultures. The skin cultures will be obtained in the preoperative area from subjects who used the Sage 2% Chlorhexidine cloth protocol pre-operatively (n=50) versus those who used only soap and water (n=50).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient undergoing shoulder surgery (open or arthroscopic)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient unwilling to comply with instructions
• Active infection in the operative extremity
• Documented allergic reaction to chlorhexidine