Antimicrobial Agents and Infection Prevention in Surgical and Clinical Settings
This community investigates the efficacy of chemical antiseptics and disinfectants for preventing and treating infections associated with surgical procedures, medical devices, and wound care.
The research focuses heavily on comparing and evaluating specific antimicrobial agents, primarily povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium hypochlorite. A significant portion of the work involves randomized controlled trials and systematic meta-analyses assessing these agents for skin antisepsis, surgical site infection prevention, and wound healing. Specific clinical applications include cataract surgery, knee arthroplasty, prostate biopsy, and central venous catheter care. The community also examines the activity of these agents against specific pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus and SARS-CoV-2, as well as their use in treating periprosthetic joint infections and managing viral loads in clinical settings.
The largest share of the community's output is found in iodine research, accounting for 2.6% of all iodine research and 4,089 papers within this group. Chlorine and sodium also appear frequently, reflecting the chemical composition of common antiseptics like sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine.
The community comprises 8,997 papers, with the most frequent venues being the Journal of Hospital Infection, Cureus, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Recent work continues to compare chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine for surgical site infection prevention and explores the clinical applications of hypochlorous acid in respiratory and dermatological contexts.