Summary
The aim of this study was to determine if mecetronium etilsulfate (MES) contributes
to overall efficacy in surgical hand disinfection. Three blinded hand rubs (45% iso-propanol,
30% n-propanol) were applied for 1.5 min and compared with the EN 12791 reference
procedure (crossover design). One commercial hand rub contained 0.2% MES, and the
two other hand rubs were identical apart from 0.2% MES. None of the formulations had
a log10 reduction after 3 h that was significantly better compared with the reference procedure
[mean 1.72 (standard deviation 1.15)]. The antimicrobial contribution of MES in hand
rubs is questionable.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 03, 2017
Accepted:
March 1,
2017
Received:
February 8,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
