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Background: Use of hand sanitizers has become a cornerstone in clinical practice for the prevention of disease transmission between practitioners and patients. Traditionally, these preparations have relied on ethanol (60%-70%) for bactericidal action. Methods: This study was conducted to measure the persistence of antibacterial activity of 2 preparations. One was a non-alcohol-based formulation using benzalkonium chloride (BK) (0.12%) and the other was an ethanol-based formulation (63%) (comparator product). The persistence of antibacterial activity was measured against Staphylococcus aureus using a technique modification prescribed in American Society for Testing and Materials protocol E2752-10 at up to 4 hours after application. Results: The test product (BK) produced a marked reduction in colony-forming units at each of the 3 time points tested (3.75-4.16-log 10 reductions), whereas the comparator produced less than 1-log 10 reduction over the same time. The differences were highly significant. Discussion: In the course of patient care or examination, there are instances where opportunities exist for the practitioner's hands to become contaminated (eg, key boards and tables). Persistent antibacterial activity would reduce the chances of transfer to the patient. Conclusions: These results show a major improvement in persistent antibacterial activity for the BK formulation compared to the comparator ethanol-based formulation.

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The compatibility of a 2% chlorhexidine gluconate/70% isopropyl alcohol (CHG/IPA) skin preparation with a gum mastic liquid adhesive (GMLA) and liquid adhesive remover (LAR) was assessed in healthy volunteers. Twenty subjects completed test material combination with microbial sampling at 3- and 7-day time points. Mean log10 reductions from baseline for normal flora were assessed. There was no significant difference in reduction of normal flora on skin prepped with CHG/IPA versus skin prepped with CHG/IPA followed by GMLA or LAR. The conclusion of the study was that the use of GMLA or LAR with CHG/IPA does not affect the antiseptic effectiveness of CHG/IPA.