# Chlorhexidine Gluconate Irrigation in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection Following Cesarean Delivery

## TL;DR

This study found no reduction in surgical site infections after using chlorhexidine gluconate during cesarean deliveries, but noted more endometritis cases in the treatment group.

## Contribution

The study evaluates the effectiveness of CHG irrigation in reducing SSIs during cesarean deliveries in a single-center observational setting.

## Key findings

- No significant difference in overall surgical site infection rates between the CHG and control groups.
- A significant increase in endometritis cases was observed in the CHG treatment group.
- The treatment group had more deliveries with pregestational or gestational diabetes compared to the control group.

## Abstract

Objective: To determine if the use of 0.05% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) irrigation solution during cesarean delivery (CD) can reduce the post-cesarean surgical site infection (SSI) rate when compared to standard practices without CHG irrigation.

Materials and methods: A single-center retrospective observational study was performed at a community hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Control and treatment periods were defined, and patients in the treatment group received irrigation with CHG solution during CD, while the control group did not. An electronic medical record review was conducted to note additional perioperative procedures that affect SSI rates. Patients were evaluated for infection at standard postoperative appointments using the CDC criteria, and the hospital system’s department of infection prevention provided records of all documented SSIs in both groups. Characteristics of the deliveries and SSIs of each group were compared using the chi-square or Fisher’s exact two-tailed tests.

Results: Data were available for 351 deliveries after the implementation of the CHG protocol, and 432 deliveries were used as the control group. No significant difference in rates of infection was found between the two groups (p = 0.68). There were significantly more endometritis infections diagnosed in the treatment group compared to the control group (four (1.1%) versus zero; p = 0.04). Compared to the controls, the treatment group had fewer deliveries with the use of silver dressing, more deliveries with a negative pressure dressing, and more deliveries with a diagnosis of pregestational or gestational diabetes (p < 0.05). There were no other differences between the groups, including the use of abdominal and vaginal prep, BMI > 35, and perioperative antibiotics.

Conclusion: This single center retrospective observational study revealed no difference in post-cesarean SSI rates when performing intra-abdominal and subcutaneous irrigation with CHG solution. A significant increase in endometritis was observed with the use of CHG irrigation; however, further studies are required to determine the benefit or harm of antimicrobial irrigation in CDs.