Preoperative decolonization with octenidine nasal ointment did not reduce overall surgical site infection rates in cardiac surgery patients, but significantly reduced harvest site and organ/space sternal SSIs, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection.
Researchers examined patients undergoing an elective isolated coronary artery bypass graft procedure. The patients were divided into two groups — control and intervention. The intervention group applied the octenidine nasal ointment three times a day, beginning on the day before surgery until after the surgery. They also showered the night before and on the day of surgery with octenidine soap. Around 89.1 percent of patients underwent a median sternotomy and 10.9 percent of patients underwent a minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass procedure.
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Overall, there was no difference in SSI rates between the control and intervention groups. The rate of harvest site SSIs was significantly lower in the intervention group as compared to the control group — 2.5 percent versus 0.5 percent.
Patients who had undergone a median sternotomy in the intervention group had a significantly lower rate of organ/space sternal SSIs. However, there was a trend toward an increased rate of deep incisional sternal SSIs.