At our hospital we default to chlorhexidine–alcohol for intact skin and require Aldrete ≥9 before Phase II after ambulatory laparoscopy. What exceptions still push you to povidone–iodine, and do you use a different Aldrete threshold?
I’ve seen cases where povidone-iodine is still preferred for certain allergies; do you find skin reactions are common with chlorhexidine?
Chlorhexidine is the go-to for me too, but I still keep some povidone-iodine around for those rare allergy cases — it’s not as common, but you can’t be too careful, especially in a PACU environment… What’s your experience been with skin reactions post-op?
I totally get that some folks have strong feelings about povidone-iodine; it’s like choosing between pizza and tacos — both can be great depending on the mood! I’ve noticed that when chlorhexidine’s used, the skin’s usually pretty happy, but there are those rare cases that catch you off guard. What do you do if there’s a sudden allergic reaction post-op?
That Aldrete cutoff drives me nuts sometimes; I feel like there’s a balance between caution and efficiency. I’ve had a couple of patients with a high threshold that still recover super well before Phase II. Has anyone else noticed a difference with chlorhexidine versus povidone in rapid recovery scenarios? @NurseEmma14 brought this up recently and it got me thinking.