Surgical wound infections are an important cause of morbidity, mortality, and excess hospital costs. Surgical wound infections are the second most frequently found nosocomial infection overall and, among surgical patients, surgical wounds are the most common nosocomial infection site. The goal of this project is to develop unique coating formulations which can be used to replace the current 3-step scrub/disinfect/drape preoperative procedure with a one-step, sustained release, antimicrobial, preoperative skin preparation that also serves as a surgical incise drape. The coating is applied in liquid form. In less than a minute, a tough, thin, dry, non- tacky, non-greasy, """"""""breathable"""""""" film is created. The coating conforms to the contour of the skin and fits where placed without wrinkling, tearing, lifting, or bubbling. After application, it will remain intact for 8 hours or more but can easily be removed at anytime or will spontaneously flake away over about 24 hours.
Eliminating the current practice of using separate antimicrobial preparations and adhesive incise drapes would cut down on the cost of materials, reduce prep time, and decrease the time needed for anesthesia. Furthermore, a combination antimicrobial preparation and incise drape that could be uniformly applied in orthopaedic surgery, cardiac surgery, and neurosurgery would benefit the patient by reducing the incidence of infection, thereby improving the chances of successful surgery and limiting prolonged post-operative hospital stay due to nosocomial surgical infection.
