Chlorhexidine and/or Betadine Prep in Pediatric Arm Surgery Following Trauma

There have been numerous studies demonstrating surgical site infections that arise from contamination at time of surgery or by seeding from other sites in the body which arise from organisms normally found on the skin. This has been known to cause complications in spine surgery, shoulder, hip, and knee arthroplasty. While studies have shown that organisms like Cutibacterium persists on the skin despite standard surgical preparation, there have not been studies that examine the organisms found in the fingernail region pre- and post- standard surgical preparations. This study investigates how thorough fingernails are prepped prior to the operation. The results of this study would determine whether providers are adequately cleaning the patient's entire arm, including under the fingernail, prior to surgery. The results may support continuation of the current practice or adding to the standard surgical preparation to ensure adequately sterilization of surgical sites and all exposed areas, which include the fingernails.