Chemical disinfection in the prevention of infection in hospital

Abstract

From the Royal Infirmary, Bristol sxiNopsis Much cross-infection can be prevented by using chemical disinfectants to reduce the numbers of pathogens in sources such as superficial lesions and carrier sites, and by interrupting routes of spread. Examples are given to show the value of using disinfectants in the light of epidemiological knowledge.When aseptic surgery superseded the antiseptic methods of Lister, its advantages were so obvious that its shortcomings were sometimes overlooked. It was often assumed, quite wrongly, that complete sterility could be achieved at the operation site by physical and mechanical methods of excluding and destroying bacteria.

Polihexanide for Wound Treatment – How It Began

“…The initially spectacular successes, especially of topical use of penicillin, did not last as a result of increasing antibiotic resistances, and doubts were expressed as to whether topical treatment with antibiotics could be justified at all. In 1961, Gillespie [10] concluded in the Journal of Clinical Pathology what is relevant today: 'The administration of antibiotics, which often betrays a frightening lack of insight, has led to the occurrence of resistant organisms among the banal micro-organisms. The return to the elementary principles of asepsis and disinfection, of local wound treatment, is therefore what is called for.…”

Clinical Use of Polihexanide on Acute and Chronic Wounds for Antisepsis and Decontamination

“…In 1961, the leading article in the Journal of Clinical Pathology stated: 'The administration of antibiotics, which often betrays a shocking lack of insight, has led to the occurrence of resistant bacteria among the banal bacteria. The return to the elementary principles of topical wound treatment and wound antisepsis is therefore what is called for' [7] . This assessment is still just as relevant today.…”