STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A NEW PRODUCT TO THE ALCOHOL GEL BASE UTILIZED AS AN ANTISEPTIC IN A NEPHROLOGY SERVICE

Abstract

The healthcare is always challenged by medical assistance related infections, which generate higher rates of morbidity and mortality as well as unnecessary costs. The ethyl alcohol has been recognized for its antimicrobial activity against most microorganisms that cause infections in the healthcare setting. The major disadvantage of alcohol for skin antisepsis is its drying effect. This study was performed at the Clínica Renal in Santa Maria, RS, with the objective of testing a new biogel product, alcohol gel, to evaluate its efficacy as a hospital antiseptic, eliminating the necessity of washing the arm of the arterial-venous fistula (AVF) of the patient submitted to hemodialysis. The methodology used was the “Randomized Clinical Trial” and was carried out in eleven patients submitted to hemodialysis in January and February 2005. The study included the culture of skin before and after the antiseptic proceedings, using alcohol 70% and the Biogel® product, and the evaluation of the bacteriostatic and bactericide of the Biogel against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The results showed that the performance of both antiseptics methods was the same, presenting an antiseptic activity of 72.7% and giving the Biogel® bactericide activity against the tested microorganisms.