Moisturizing alcohol hand gels for surgical hand preparation.

With the use of novel formulary technology, unique moisturizing hand gels have been developed that offer significant advantages in perioperative and other health care settings. These advantages include the time-saving capabilities of a waterless formulation, the persistence and effectiveness of a surgical scrub, and the moisturization and protective properties of a lotion. Extensive laboratory and clinical studies, involving in vivo antimicrobial activity against resident and transient flora, skin moisturization on normal and dry skin, and compatibility with latex gloves, have supported these advantages. Nondrying alcohol hand gels can be used for antiseptic hand washing, hand scrubs between procedures (i.e., reentry scrubs), brushless surgical scrubs, moisturizers, and glove-donning aids.

Lack of microbial proliferation and phototoxic potential of a new matrix patch for estradiol delivery.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the potential of a new matrix system developed for estradiol delivery to cause microbial proliferation under the occluded site or to cause acute phototoxicity reactions. METHODS: Twenty healthy post-menopausal women participated in a microbial proliferation study and 11 in a phototoxicity study. Both studies were single centre, single blind and placebo controlled. Microbial proliferation was assessed by quantitative counts of the total aerobic bacterial population and of eight individual species before patch application and after removal following a 4 day application period on the abdomen. Acute phototoxicity potential was assessed following an 8 h application period on the abdomen by irradiating the application site after patch removal with ultra violet A radiation and visible light and evaluating the sites for up to 48 h post irradiation. Non-irradiated active and placebo patches on the other side of the abdomen served as controls. RESULTS: Total aerobic bacterial populations both before and after the matrix patch application period were low as expected for dry skin. Separate counts of microbial species were also low and did not change in any meaningful or consistent manner after patch application. In the phototoxicity study, mild erythema was observed in some patients at 0, 0.5 and 24 h post patch removal with no differences between irradiated and non-irradiated sites. CONCLUSIONS: These two studies demonstrate that a new matrix patch developed for estradiol delivery does not promote microbial proliferation under the occluded patch site or cause acute phototoxicity following removal.

Identification of possible artifacts in the association of official analytical chemists sporicidal test.

Two laboratories tested four different brands of alkaline 2% glutaraldehyde sterilants by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists sporicidal test. Each laboratory found survival of Clostridium sporogenes spores on spore-labeled unglazed porcelain penicylinders (cylinders) to vary from test to test, and survival did not always correlate with increasing sterilant exposure time. These results were consistent with a theory that there may be random conditions within the test that prevent the sterilant from contacting all spores. Further studies indicated that the prior history of the unglazed porcelain cylinders and whether the C. sporogenes culture grown in egg-meat media had been processed (homogenized) to eliminate visible pieces of egg-meat media were important factors affecting the results and repeatability of this test.