bathing

Hi i'm fairly new to the neonates but i've never heard of using chlorhexidine bath wipes on neonates. not even on my training. Normally we just use sterilized water to bath them. Is it something you do on your unit?

Is that for babies with infections? I think ive seen something in a pump bottle that looks dark pink but looks like a surgical scrub wash. Im sure they use it in theatres but not on wards.

Thanks for the comments.

We do not use chlorhexidine just soap and water.

I know they do for adults and wanted to know if anyone used on neonates,

I can't imagine any NICUs use them given how sensitive the neonates' skin is, in fact we take great pains to wash it off as soon as we're done putting in lines. It is used in PICUs - my daughter got a daily chlorhexadine bath when she was at Children's.

our CT surgery babies get chlorahexidine baths x2 the night before surgery, and the CICU bathes all patients with CHG wipes, regardless of age, on a nightly basis.

Everyone one of our pts (I work adult MICU) with a central line gets a CHG wipe bath daily. Ambulatory pre-OHS pts on the adult cardiac stepdown floor I also work at take CHG showers BID. But I'd imagine it might be too much for sensitive neonate skin?

We don't use CHG on the skin of any baby younger than 2 months. Even for central line dressing changes, we use betadine.

Our unit allows chlorhexidine use on infants after 28 days/age. CHG wipe baths are given daily X 7 days for infants colonized with MRSA who are over 28 days and 2000 grams.