Pre-Operative CHG Bathing Requirement

Hi everyone,
I sent this via email as well: We are implementing a new pre-op bathing requirement.  Patients will be bathed with CHG the night before and the morning of surgery in hopes of decreasing our SSI (surgical site infection) rates.  Patients on 7C will receive their morning CHG bath in pre-op holding.  The policy/procedure can be found on the intranet: C-139
https://www.musc.edu/medcenter/policy/Med/C139.pdf
For partially dependent or dependent patients, complete the following the night before and the
morning of surgery:
1. Obtain necessary supplies
     a. 4 oz bottle of the antiseptic solution, 4% CHG (comes from Central Supply)
     b. Clean wash cloth
     c. Clean towel
     d. Clean patient gown; clean linens
2. Bathe the patient with regular soap to remove all dirt, soil, and debris. (If the patient is not
visibly soiled, skip this step and proceed to the next.)
3. Bathe the patient with 4% CHG.
4. Apply the antiseptic solution (4% CHG) to a wet washcloth and lather the entire body from the
neck down. Never use the antiseptic solution near the eyes. Gently wash the body and focus
the scrub on the areas where the incision(s) will be located for about 3 minutes. Avoid
scrubbing the skin too hard.
5. Once you have completed the scrub, rinse the CHG soap solution off of the body
completely.
6. Do not wash with regular soap after using the antiseptic soap solution. Pat the patient dry with
a clean, freshly washed towel.
7. DO NOT apply any powders, deodorants, lotions, creams, hair products, or make-up.
8. Dress with freshly laundered gown; cover with clean linens.
9. Document the procedure

We will order the 4% CHG so we have a supply on our unit.

Let me know if you have questions.