Originally Posted by bryanboling5
How many of you consistantly prep your IV sites with Betadine (or something equivalent) rather than just EtOH? I used to work with a nurse who said that she'd read somewhere that EtOH prep was almost useless so she always used Betadine unless allergic. Just wondering what the general thinking is.
Bryan, I've wondered myself why everyone insists on betadine or cholorohexadine instead of just alcohol since they are all antiseptics. I was under the assumption that these solutions kill all cells including some epithelial cells. I know that iodine is an older treatment and that its use like many things maybe based more on tradition and marketing. I would imagine alcohol to be less expensive than brand name iodine solutions. I do not know how effective alcohol is as an antiseptic but have always assumed that it works well.
"Iodine's use in the treatment of wounds was first described in 1839. By the late 1800's iodine tinctures came into wide use as microbicides. Iodine quickly kills a broad range of microorgansisms. In laboratory test, iodine destroys many microorganisms and viruses within 3-5 minutes. How it kills is not exactly understood, but it rapidly penetrates cell walls, stops or interfers with protein synthesis, and reacts with cell membranes and membrane bound structures... Unfortunanetly the drawback of using Betadine solution is that the brownish stain it leaves on the skin is a bit unsightly, however this can be eliminated if the phlebotomist uses two solutions to cleanse the skin. The phlebotomist swabs the chosen area with Betadine. After allowing the Betadine to dry for a minute or two, the phlebotomist wipes the brownish stain away with sterile gauze pads soaked in 70 % alcohol. Then the puncture starts a minute or two after the alcohol wipe."
http://www.phlebotomypages.com/iodine.htm
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Iodine vs. ETOH
