Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2004 May;42(5):2216-7.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.42.5.2216-2217.2004.

Comparison of chlorhexidine and tincture of iodine for skin antisepsis in preparation for blood sample collection

Joan Barenfanger  1 , Cheryl Drake, Jerry Lawhorn, Steven J Verhulst
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of chlorhexidine and tincture of iodine for skin antisepsis in preparation for blood sample collection

Joan Barenfanger et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2004 May.

Abstract

Rates of contamination of blood cultures obtained when skin was prepared with iodine tincture versus chlorhexidine were compared. For iodine tincture, the contamination rate was 2.7%; for chlorhexidine, it was 3.1%. The 0.41% difference is not statistically significant. Chlorhexidine has comparable effectiveness and is safer, cheaper, and preferred by staff, so it is an alternative to iodine tincture.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Graph of contamination rates obtained with the two different skin preparations compared in this study. Cum, cumulative.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Cobett, S., and A. LeBlanc. 1999. IV site infection: a prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of three methods of skin antisepsis; CINA conference ′99. Off. J. Can. Intravenous Nurs. Assoc. 15:48-49.
    1. Darmstadt, G. L. 2000. Neonatal skin care. Pediatr. Clin. N. Am. 47:757-782. - PubMed
    1. Garland, J. S., C. P. Alex, C. D. Mueller, D. Otten, C. Shivpuri, et al. 2001. A randomized trial comparing povidone-iodine to a chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated dressing for prevention of central venous catheter infections in neonates. Pediatrics 107:1431-1436. - PubMed
    1. Garland, J. S., R. K. Buck, P. Maloney, D. M. Durkin, S. Toth-Lloyd, M. Duffy; P. Szocik, T. L. McAuliffe, and D. Goldmann. 1995. Comparison of 10% povidone-iodine and 0.5% chlorhexidine gluconate for the prevention of peripheral intravenous catheter colonization in neonates: a prospective trial. Pediatr. Infect. Dis. 14:510-516. - PubMed
    1. Kinirons, B., O. Mimoz, L. Lafendi, T. Naas, et al. 2001. Chlorhexidine versus povidone iodine in preventing colonization of continuous epidural catheters in children. Anesthesiology 94:239-244. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources