Assessing techniques for disinfecting sites for inserting intravenous catheters into the jugular veins of horses
- T. E. Geraghty, BVMS, MVM, MRCVS1,
- S. Love, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS1,
- D. J. Taylor, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS2,
- J. Heller, BSc, BVSc, DipVetClinStud, MVetClinStud, MRCVS2,
- D. J. Mellor, BVMS, PhD, DipECVPH2 and
- K. J. Hughes, BVSc, FACVSc, DipECEIM, MRCVS1
- 1 Division of Companion Animal Sciences
- 2 Division of Animal Production and Public Health, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH
- Correspondence to Mr Hughes, e-mail: k.hughes{at}vet.gla.ac.uk
Abstract
The sites of insertion of catheters into the jugular veins of six horses were investigated to determine common isolates and to assess the effectiveness of two disinfection protocols with the hair coat left long, clipped or shaved. Skin commensals (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Micrococcus species) and environmental contaminants (Bacillus, Enterobacteriaceae, Aspergillus and Mucor species) were the microorganisms most frequently isolated. Chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine-based skin disinfection protocols resulted in significant reductions in the number of bacterial isolates from clipped sites. With chlorhexidine, there were no significant differences between the reductions observed at sites with the hair coat left long, clipped or shaved.
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