Table 4.
Characteristics of Antiseptic Solutions
| Antimicrobial Coverage | |||||||||
| Antiseptic | Mechanism of Action | GPB | GNB | Mtb | Fg | Vi | Onset | Duration | Examples |
| Aqueous-iodophor | Oxidation/substitution by free iodine | E | G | G | G | G | Moderate | 2 h | Betadine® Scrub Care® |
| Aqueous-CHG | Disrupts cell membranes | E | G | P | F | G | Moderate | 6 h | Hibiclens® |
| Alcohol | Denatures proteins | E | E | G | G | G | Most Rapid | None | |
| Alcohol-iodine povacrylex | Denatures proteins Oxidation/substitution by free iodine | E | E | ID | ID | G | Rapid | 48 h | DuraPrep™ |
| Alcohol-CHG | Denatures proteins Disrupts cell membranes | E | E | ID | ID | G | Rapid | 48 h | ChloraPrep® |
CHG, chlorhexidine gluconate; E, excellent; F, fair; Fg, fungi; G, good; GNB, gram-negative bacteria; GPB, gram-positive bacteria; ID, insufficient data; Mtb, Myobacterium tuberculosis; P, poor; Vi, virus.
Betadine® Microbicide, Purdue Products L.P., Stamford, CT; ChloraPrep®, CareFusion, Inc., Leawood, KS; DuraPrep™ Surgical Solution, 3M Health Care, St. Paul, MN; Hibiclens®, Mölnlycke Health Care Inc., Norcross, GA; Scrub Care®, Cardinal Health, Dublin, OH.