Why Skin Prep Matters

Patients skin dwelling bacteria:

• No.1 Risk Factor for catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSI)
• No.1 Pathogenic Agent for clean & clean-contaminated surgical site infections (SSI)

(Surveillance of Hospital-Acquired Bacteraemia in English Hospitals1997-2002 NINSS Nosocomial Infection National Surveillance Service)

Significance of pathogenic or normal resident flora

• On a single square centimetre of skin, there can be as many as 10 million aerobic bacteria⁶
• 80% of microorganisms reside in the first five cell layers of the epidermis⁷
• Historically, infection prevention measures have focused on asepsis of healthcare providers and the environment
• Emerging evidence about the role played by the patient's own skin is changing the paradigm. ⁸