Preoperative skin and nail preparation of the foot: comparison of the efficacy of 4 different methods in reducing bacterial load.

Background: Orthopedic surgical procedures involving the foot and ankle are associated with high rates of infection. The optimal method of preparing the skin and nails for foot and ankle surgery remains unknown.

Objective: This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of 4 different methods of skin and nail preparation of the foot using various antiseptic solutions.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized study, 4 methods of skin and nail preparation were compared in terms of their efficacy in eliminating bacteria from the hallux nailfold and first web space of the normal foot in 28 healthy adult volunteers. Efficacy was determined by evaluating the difference in the total bacterial load before and after skin preparation. The foot-preparation solutions evaluated were 4% chlorhexidine gluconate, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and 7.5% to 10% povidone-iodine.

Results: The addition of alcohol to povidone-iodine was found to increase the efficacy of the preparation method. The nailfold remained contaminated after any of the preoperative skin- and nail-preparation methods studied.

Limitations: This study did not measure clinically relevant infections, and the results may not correlate with decreased rates of infection after surgery.

Conclusion: Incorporation of alcohol and povidone-iodine into the preoperative skin- and nail-preparation process may help reduce the bacterial load. Every effort should be made to lower the risk of contamination from the nail.