Should you adopt the practice of vaginal cleansing with povidone-iodine prior to cesarean delivery?
Among women with ruptured membranes or spontaneous labor, precesarean vaginal cleansing with povidone-iodine may reduce the risk of endometritis
Approach #1: A liberal clinical protocol. In this scenario, all women (who are not allergic to iodine or povidone-iodine) undergoing cesarean delivery should undergo vaginal cleansing. The World Health Organization conditionally recommends vaginal cleansing for all women undergoing a cesarean delivery.8
Approach #2: A focused clinical protocol. For this protocol, only women (again, who are not allergic to iodine or povidone-iodine) who have ruptured membranes or are in labor upon advanced cervical examination should receive vaginal cleansing.
The advantage of a liberal protocol is that vaginal preparation becomes embedded within the standard practice of cesarean delivery and, hence, is seldom overlooked. The upside of the focused protocol is that only those women most likely to benefit receive the intervention.
Tell me what you thinkWill you consider using vaginal cleansing in your practice? Please let me know your views on vaginal cleansing for cesarean delivery, as well as your clinical pearls on cesarean delivery surgery, at obgmanagement.com. In addition, weigh in on the Quick Poll posted to OBG Management’s homepage. Send your letter to the editor to rbarbieri@frontlinemedcom.com.
