WHO recommendation on vaginal preparation with antiseptic agents for women undergoing caesarean section

Download or read book WHO recommendation on vaginal preparation with antiseptic agents for women undergoing caesarean section written by and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2021-06-18 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While the evidence on vaginal preparation before caesarean section was largely derived from trials using povidone-iodine, benefit was demonstrated overall for any antiseptic (either povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine gluconate) versus no antiseptic. Included trials used varying concentrations of chlorhexidine gluconate (0.05% to 0.25%) or povidone-iodine (1% to 10%), and the base (aqueous or alcohol) was not described. However, the Guideline Development Group agreed that alcohol-based antiseptic solutions should not be used for vaginal preparation because of concerns around irritation of mucosa. This recommendation pertains to all women undergoing caesarean section regardless of their baseline risk of infectious morbidity following surgery (i.e. for caesarean section in women before or during labour, and women with intact or ruptured membranes). Whilst available trials were not clear on the timing of vaginal preparation relative to the caesarean section, the Guideline Development Group suggested that vaginal preparation should be performed as close to the start of caesarean section as possible (e.g. directly following preoperative urinary bladder catheterization) to minimize the woman’s discomfort.