Surgery, gynecology & obstetrics
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Skin preparation burns associated with chemical agents are uncommon. They occur most frequently in those patients placed in the lithotomy position undergoing gynecologic operations, the burn being on the buttocks, and in those undergoing orthopedic operations, the burn being on the extremities and under a tourniquet. ⋯ To prevent these burns from occurring, the skin must not be abraded excessively before the final skin preparation solution is applied; the agent should not be allowed to pool and become trapped under the tourniquet or the torso of the patient, and the agent should be allowed to dry before the patient is draped. In our experience, the agent that has been the most effective and the least irritating to the skin during the time it has been used is povidone-iodine.