4% Chlorhexidine Gluconate Daily Bathing for Prevention of Hospital-acquired Infections in Intensive Care Settings

Study on the Effect of the Universal Decontamination With Daily Bathing With 4% Chlorhexidine Gluconate on the Incidence of Hospital Acquired Infections in Intensive Care Units

The study will assess the utility of 4% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) daily bathing to reduce hospital acquired infections in patients admitted to intensive care units. One group will be daily bathed with 4% CHG and the other group with standard soap.

Inclusion Criteria:

• admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) or to the post-operative cardiosurgical ICU (PC-ICU)
• ICU/PC-ICU stay for at least 1 night

Exclusion Criteria:

• known allergy to chlorhexidine
• burns, toxic epidermal necrolysis or Stevens-Johnson syndrome as admission diagnosis
• pregnancy