Skin preparation with alcohol versus alcohol followed by any antiseptic for preventing bacteraemia or contamination of blood for transfusion

Abstract

Background Blood for transfusion may become contaminated at any point between collection and transfusion and may result in bacteraemia (the presence of bacteria in the blood), severe illness or even death for the blood recipient. Donor arm skin is one potential source of blood contamination, so it is usual to cleanse the skin with an antiseptic before blood donation. One-step and two-step alcohol based antiseptic regimens are both commonly advocated but there is uncertainty as to which is most effective. Objectives To assess the effects of cleansing the skin of blood donors with alcohol in a one-step compared with alcohol in a two-step procedure to prevent contamination of collected blood or bacteraemia in the recipient.

Prospective evaluation of 2% (w/v) alcoholic chlorhexidine gluconate as an antiseptic agent for blood donor arm preparation

“…[910] However, the cochrane collaboration on skin preparation for prevention of bacteremia concludes that it has remained unclear which antiseptic solution or process may reduce bacteremia due to paucity of available data. [11] Thus, in view of this literature we had designed the study to evaluate the use 2% AlcCHG as an antiseptic agent for donor arm preparation with criteria that it should be as good as 10% povidone iodine, which is approved by FDA India. Our blood product contamination rate for year 2010 was 0.04% (unpublished data) and thus it would have required a very large study to evaluate superiority of any one product which was not feasible for practical reasons.…”