The product used most often to cleanse and disinfect the site prior to venipuncture is 70% isopropyl alcohol in towelette form.
The most common antiseptic used in routine venipuncture is alcohol-based solutions, typically isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
Chlorhexidine is probably the most widely used biocide in antiseptic products, in particular in handwashing and oral products but also as a disinfectant and preservative. This is due in particular to its broad-spectrum efficacy, substantivity for the skin, and low irritation.
Blood culture contamination can lead to clinical misinterpretation and inappropriate treatment followed by unnecessary costs. Therefore, skin antiseptics to prevent blood culture contamination are important. Povidone-iodine has been used widely as a skin disinfectant performing blood culture.
Although topical 1.0% alcohol/chlorhexidine gluconate (ACHX) reduces blood culture contamination more effectively than 10% aqueous povidone‐iodine (PVI), 4 , 5 both agents are routinely applied at our institution as topical disinfectants before blood sampling.
Recommended disinfectant solutions
Hypochlorite (bleach) solution The recommended level of 1:10 bleach solution is made by adding 1 part household bleach (5.25% hypochlorite) to 10 parts water (or ½ cup of bleach to 4 ½ cups of water, or 125 ml of bleach to 1 litre of water).
Chlorine: Chlorine is a broad-spectrum germicide and is effective against bacteria, viruses, mycobacteria and fungal spores. It is the recommended general all-purpose laboratory disinfectant.
Many phenolic products are used for the decontamination of environmental surfaces and some (e.g. triclosan and chloroxylenol) are among the more commonly used antiseptics. Some phenolic compounds are sensitive to and may be inactivated by water hardness and therefore must be diluted with distilled or deionized water.
Skin disinfection practice varies; commonly-used antiseptic agents include iodine, isopropyl alcohol, chlorhexidine or combinations of these, and modes of application include swabs, scrubs, ampoules and applicators2-4.
In conclusion, our study results suggest that a single application of 70% IPA is the optimal antiseptic method to be used for the collection of blood samples for culture.
Preventing and treating infected skin — antiseptics can be used to clean contaminated cuts, wounds, abrasions, burns, and bites, including in some skin conditions such as acne and atopic dermatitis (eczema).
Dettol, tinture of iodone and iodoform are common antiseptics that are directly applied on wounds to treat them.
The two most widely administered antiseptic surgical scrub agents in dermatologic surgery are chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine. Povidone-iodine scrubs are composed of 7.5% to 10.0% povidone-iodine, typically in an aqueous or alcohol base, and are occasionally combined with detergent.
The antiseptic used for a routine venipuncture is 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Micro-organisms that contaminate cultures can come from patient skin, healthcare personnel skin, contaminated recipients, or laboratory procedures. Patients' skin disinfection decreases the number of blood culture false positives. Alcohol, chlorhexidine and iodine products are commonly used for this purpose.
Numerous effective antiseptics have been used to prevent transmission of bacteria from the skin to minimize blood contamination, including povidone-iodine, iodine tincture, isopropyl alcohol, and chlorhexidine gluconate [26], [27], [28].
Whole Blood Donation
It can be transfused in its original form, or used to help multiple people when separated into its specific components of red cells, plasma and platelets. Learn more about whole blood donations. Who it helps: Whole blood is frequently given to trauma patients and people undergoing surgery.
However, alcohol, followed by an application of povidone iodine has been traditionally used (Shahar 1990; Kiyoyama 2009).
Recently, a solution of 0.5% chlorhexidine gluconate in 67% isopropyl alcohol was demonstrated to be superior to PI in preventing blood culture contamination (1.4% versus 3.3% contamination, respectively) (7).
Hypochlorites, the most widely used of the chlorine disinfectants, are available as liquid (e.g., sodium hypochlorite) or solid (e.g., calcium hypochlorite).
Iodine. For more than a century, iodine has been regarded as one of the most efficacious antiseptic to reduce infectious complications and topical iodine forms have been used for wound treatment.
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (Quats)
A top choice for disinfection in hospital and institutional settings because of their low cost and quick action against a wide range of microorganisms.
70% denatured ethanol mixed with 30% water solutions produce less vapour and odour, therefore reducing risks of toxic fumes or combustion.
“Though bleach can be highly corrosive to surfaces, it is effective against C. diff and our goal is to help save people's lives.” As an alternative to bleach, some facilities are experiencing success in the fight against C. diff by using accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP) products.