FAQ Home

What studies have been published about the safety and efficacy of combination PVP-I + Alcohol products?

The most comprehensive reference on this subject is…

Combination Povidone-Iodine and Alcohol Formulations More Effective, More Convenient Versus Formulations Containing Either Iodine or Alcohol Alone published in the Sep/Oct 2005 issue of the Journal of Infusion Nursing (Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 314-319).  Click here to request an electronic copy and/or glossy reprint.

The only study which has compared the safety and efficacy of a PVP-I + alcohol formulation to a formulation containing CHG + alcohol was:

Art, GR. Comparison of the safety and efficacy of two topical antiseptic products: chlorhexidine gluconate + isopropyl alcohol (CHG+IPA) and povidone-Iodine + isopropyl alcohol (PVP-I +IPA). JAVA 2007;12(3):156-163.  Click here to view. Click here to request a glossy reprint.

From the abstract…

When compared using methods established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) and the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), the safety and efficacy of PVP-I+IPA was found to be less irritating and faster acting than CHG+IPA; both PVP-I+IPA and CHG+IPA demonstrated persistence for 7 days.

Studies demonstrating the superiority of PVP-I + alcohol formulations over formulations containing PVP-I alone are:

• Arata, T, Murakami, T, Hirai, Y. Evaluation of povidone-iodine alcoholic solution for operative site disinfection. Postgrad Med J. 1993;69(Suppl 3):S93-S96.
• Birnbach DJ, Meadows W, Stein DJ, Murray O, Thys DM, Sordillo EM. Comparison of povidone-iodine and DuraPrep, an iodophor-in-isopropyl alcohol solution, for skin disinfection prior to epidural catheter insertion in parturients. Anesthesiology. 2003;98(1):164-169.
• Calfee DP, Farr BM. Comparison of four antiseptic preparations for skin in the prevention of contamination of percutaneously drawn blood cultures: a randomized trial. J Clin Microbiol. 2002; 40(5):1660-1665.
• Felton SC. Evaluation of the application time for Persist antiseptic solution. 1996. Available at: http://www.bd.com/infusion/library/papers.asp. Accessed December 31, 2004.
• Felton SC, Wolosyn CT. Comparison of Persist antiseptic activity under OpSite IV3000 or gauze dressings. 1996. Available at: http://www.bd.com/infusion/library/papers.asp. Accessed December 31, 2004.
• Felton SC, Wolosyn CT. Evaluation of the activity of Persist antiseptic solution for up to 9 days. 1997. Available at: http://www.bd.com/infusion/library/papers.asp. Accessed August 18, 2003.
• Gilliam DL, Nelson CL. Comparison of a one-step iodophor skin preparation versus traditional preparation in total joint surgery. Clin Orthop Rel Res. 1990;205:258-260.
• Howard JJ. Effectiveness of DuraPrep surgical solution in general surgical patients [Abstract in package insert]. 3M. March 1998.
  Jeng DK. A new water-resistant, film-forming, 30-second, one-step application iodophor preoperative skin preparation. Am J Infect Control. 2001;29(6):370-376.
• Jeng OK, Severin JE. Povidone iodine gel alcohol: a 30-second, one-time application preoperative skin preparation. Am J Infect Control. 1998;26(5):488-494.
• Kawana R, Matsumoto I, Saito J, et al. Study of the antiseptic efficacy of a quick drying rubbing type povidone-iodine alcoholic disinfectant solution by the glove juice method. Postgrad Med J. 1993;69(Suppl 3):S18-S22.
• Nagai I, Ogase H, Takechi M, Kadota M, Kumamoto R. Evaluation of the disinfectant effect of a quick-drying rubbing-type povidone- iodine alcoholic solution by the glove juice method. Postgrad Med J. 1993;69(Suppl 3):SD33-S38.
• Parietnti JJ, du Cheyron D, Ramakers M, et al. Alcoholic povidone-iodine to prevent central venous catheter colonization: a randomized unit-crossover study. Crit Care Med. 2004;32(3):708-713.
• Ramakers M, Parienti JJ, Malbruny B, et al. Prospective randomized trial of 10% povidone-iodine (PVI) versus 5% alcohol plus 5% povidone-iodine (APVI) for prevention of central venous catheter (CVC) colonization. Abstracts of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2002; 42:318.
  

Back to Questions about ExCel_AP^®