Skin Preparation for Elective Foot and Ankle Surgery

Description

Surgical site infections (SSIs) make about 31% of all nosocomial infections and they are the most common hospital-acquired infection. For foot and ankle elective interventions, SSI rate is reported between 0.4% and 3.6%. This study will investigate the effectiveness of skin cleaning with isopropyl alcohol and scrubbing with chlorhexidine soap before standard skin preparation in reducing microbial load and surgical site infections for elective foot and ankle surgeries. Current standard of care includes skin preparation with iodine or chlorhexidine solution prior to sterile draping and the start of surgery. Standard of care will be applied to all patients. The use of an additional "pre-scrub" with isopropyl alcohol and scrubbing with chlorhexidine soap will be applied to the experimental group. The control group will receive only the standard of care skin preparation with iodine or chlorhexidine solution prior to draping.

Conditions

Microbial Colonization, Foot and Ankle Disorders

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

Surgical site infections (SSIs) make about 31% of all nosocomial infections and they are the most common hospital-acquired infection. For foot and ankle elective interventions, SSI rate is reported between 0.4% and 3.6%. This study will investigate the effectiveness of skin cleaning with isopropyl alcohol and scrubbing with chlorhexidine soap before standard skin preparation in reducing microbial load and surgical site infections for elective foot and ankle surgeries. Current standard of care includes skin preparation with iodine or chlorhexidine solution prior to sterile draping and the start of surgery. Standard of care will be applied to all patients. The use of an additional "pre-scrub" with isopropyl alcohol and scrubbing with chlorhexidine soap will be applied to the experimental group. The control group will receive only the standard of care skin preparation with iodine or chlorhexidine solution prior to draping.

Skin Preparation for Elective Foot and Ankle Surgery

Skin Preparation for Elective Foot and Ankle Surgery

Condition
Microbial Colonization
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Columbia

University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65211

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * patients undergoing elective foot and ankle surgeries
  • * age over 18
  • * trauma as the indication for surgery
  • * open injuries
  • * non-elective procedures
  • * amputations
  • * prior surgical site infection through the planned incision
  • * pregnancy. All potential participants of child-bearing potential follow the standard pre-operative protocol to ensure they are not in pregnant status prior to SOC surgical procedure.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

University of Missouri-Columbia,

Study Record Dates

2025-12