The importance of disinfectant

[Mikey P]

Strangely enough I now have very hairy toes....

A-ha! You are a Hobbit and I claim my £5 spotters prize!

 

[Laurentius]

Bit of confusion over terminology.

Disinfectants are what you clean floors and trolleys with, eg, bleach. Too caustic to use on tissue.

Antiseptics are used to kill bacteria on living tissue.

Alcohol is good on intact skin but doesn't kill spore forming bacteria (tetanus/anthrax/C. diff) reliably.

Chlorhexidine is commonly used in hospitals on broken skin.

Cleaning a contaminated wound is often a lengthy business involving bright lights, scrubbing brushes and local anaesthetics. Generally we do not close penetrating or dirty wounds like animal bites.

I don't know about the others but chlorhexidine is known to cause anaphylaptic shock in allergic patients if it gets into the bloodstream, there are a couple of reports of deaths from it's use as a mouthwash in dental surgeries, that is probably the reason why first aiders are warned off it's use on open wounds.

BTW I am using it myself at the moment for a gum infection.

 

[BrianM]

Disinfectants are not normally used in first aid. The can cause allergic reactions and also delay healing by up to 3 days. If you have a really dirty injury, it is a hospital job to clean it properly.

You are correct about "sealing in" infection - some major wounds are now just covered with a sterile dressing and allowed to heal from the inside out.