Preparation of the vagina for surgery. A comparison of povidone-iodine and saline solution
M. S. Amstey and A. P. Jones
Patients undergoing major vaginal surgery and treated with prophylactic
antibiotics were assigned to two groups in which the effectiveness of
preoperative vaginal preparation with povidone-iodine was compared with
that of saline solution. There was no difference in postoperative morbidity
between the two groups, although a few more infections occurred in the
group treated with povidone-iodine. It is suggested that simple dilution of
the quantity of bacteria in the vagina is all that is essential for
adequate preoperative vaginal preparation.
