Comparison of four antiseptic products containing chlorhexidine gluconate

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the antimicrobic efficacies of four formulations of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) for handwashing under frequent-use conditions. Fifty volunteers were assigned by block randomization to one of five products: one of two liquid detergents containing 4% CHG, a liquid detergent containing 2% CHG, a foam containing 4% CHG, and a nonantiseptic soap (control). Subjects washed their hands by a standardized technique 15 times per day for 5 days. After days 1 and 5 of handwashing, there was a significant reduction in log CFU for subjects using all four CHG-containing products compared with subjects using control soap and for subjects within each group after days 1 and 5 compared with the base-line CFU counts (all P less than 0.05). There were no significant differences between the four CHG products at any testing time. We conclude that all four formulations are satisfactory for clinical use.