ChloraPrep Allergies?

[Marie_LPN, RN]

Recently (appx. 3 months ago), one of our orthopod groups decided to switch to ChloraPrep for all of their Duraprep-prep cases, after reading an article on its effectiveness. But they're noticing that most of the pts. coming back for their post-op visit have had post-op allergic skin reactions, and so far it seems like the ChloraPrep is doing it (the Ioban, Xeroform gauze, Scarlet Red, and latex were ruled out).

Haven't heard from the company that makes ChloraPrep yet (sent the sales rep an email a few days ago), but that's still in the works. Meanwhile, i put Duraprep back on their preference sheets, and Chloraprep is only used on their cases when there's a betadine allergy.

Has anyone else had this issue with ChloraPrep in any surgical or nursing specialty?

[bechuven]

Was prepped with Chloraprep for hand/wrist surgery on 4/16/12. By that evening I had a shingles-like burning/itching on the preppped area. Washed off what I could and applied Benadryl cream, to no avail. By the next evening, additionally had itchy rash on trunk and shortness of breath. Oral Benadryl relieved the new symptoms, but not the burning itch. Went to the surgeon's office where they cleaned the area (not the incision sites) with Aloe wipes. I applied more Benadryl cream. It is now 4 days, still itching, and when I uncovered the incision today because it was more tender, found it was red, swollen, and the area covered with blisters. I'm very unhappy that the manufacturer and medical journals deny adverse effects despite overwhelming online evidence to the contrary.

[SkipBeat]

Our ortho and general docs use chloroprep quite a bit. Haven't had any problems with it at all. I know it's important to let it dry completely before draping which will help with ioban sticking. Besides that, I haven't heard of any patients having allergic reactions to it.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

We use Chloraprep on 90% of our cases and have not seen or heard about any reactions. ALso no problem with the Ioban peeling. Not sure why some hospitals have issues and others dont. I had recent surgery with Chloraprep without a sign of redness/rash etc in the prep area.

[sauconyrunner]

We are using chloraprep almost exclusively for surgeries, and have noted a big decline in infections for our total joints. It does have to dry 100% before draping. And some surgeons did not like the clear because they could not see it.

I had Chloraprep for pre-operative testing (injections under flouroscopy and then a big long hip labrum repair.) did not have a reaction to the prep, did have one to the op-site.

It seems silly that any company would claim, and that we would believe that a prep would not cause allergies or problems in some persons. Someone is always allergic to something.

[kids]

Original thread is 5-6 years old.

I wonder if the manufacturer changed something in the formulation in the mean time.

[sauconyrunner]

Original thread is 5-6 years old.

I wonder if the manufacturer changed something in the formulation in the mean time.

Oh wow Kids, I did not even note the date. I imagine they have. Chloraprep is now available in teal or tan or clear, and the color now is not as bright as it was before. I wonder if they reduced the amt of dye in it....

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

We use chlorprep on our preemies...you have to make sure that you get it all off after the procedure or it will cause skin problems. We have one that is tinted so we can see where it runs (for our umbilical line placements) for art sticks and CVL care we make sure to let it dry and then wipe it off with steril sali-wipes. We have had a few cases, before we had tinted, that the prep didn't get washed off and it burned their skin, to the degree that we had to involve burn clinic. And this wasn't only on preemies, but on bigger kids we have had for a while.

I didn't notice the date too lol But still, wonder if people are still having issues!

[gwendelyn]

I'm a new OR nurse in the OR residency. I learned that Chloraprep can't be used in mucous membranes..Gyn, ENT.etc. So far I haven't seen a problem with it used in ortho.

[polopatient]

Sept. 2012

Although the original thread is several years old…...people are still having adverse reactions to ChloraPrep. Of course you will only hear from the small percentage that have trouble with it because there’s no reason for anyone else to be investigating this product. I've stumbled upon this thread as a patient having had recent abdominal surgery. Surgically everything went great. By the 5th day post-op what I thought was a bit of prickly heat was a definitive allergic reaction. I treated with hydrocortisone and Benadryl. By day seven I needed steroid treatment; my entire abdomen was red/purple, inflamed, and itched like I had chicken pox. Unfortunately I do not do well on oral steroids so I was prescribed a steroid cream and antihistamine. The symptoms lasted five more days and then my arms and legs started to break out. Fortunately the whole thing resolved after 3 more days of constant antihistamine use.

I understand that very few people have an adverse reaction. The down side is that for those that do, it really adds insult to injury when trying to recover. I wish that I’d had a skin test of this product a couple days prior to surgery based on my general allergic profile (penicillin, sulfa, seasonal, and yes…pool chlorine).