Assessing techniques for disinfecting sites for inserting intravenous catheters into the jugular veins of horses.

This research examines the effectiveness of two disinfection protocols—chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine—on the insertion sites for intravenous catheters in horses’ jugular veins, considering different conditions of the hair coat (left long, clipped, or shaved).

Research Goals

• The main objective of the study was to evaluate the most frequently isolated microorganisms from sites where catheters were inserted into horses’ jugular veins. It also aimed to analyze the effectiveness of two disinfection procedures involving either chlorhexidine gluconate or povidone-iodine under different conditions of the horses’ hair coat.

Methodology

• The study was carried out on six horses. For each horse, the study examined the site of a catheter insertion into the jugular vein.
• The researchers identified common microorganisms present at the insertion sites. These comprised skin commensals such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Micrococcus species, as well as environmental pollutants such as Bacillus, Enterobacteriaceae, Aspergillus, and Mucor species.
• The researchers tested two disinfection procedures: one using chlorhexidine gluconate and the other using povidone-iodine. They evaluated the effectiveness of these disinfection procedures on the catheter insertion sites where the hair was left long, clipped, or shaved.

Findings

• The research resulted in notable findings related to the two disinfection procedures and how they performed in different hair coat conditions:
• Both disinfection procedures (chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine) significantly reduced the number of bacterial isolates from the sites where the hair had been clipped.
• In the case of chlorhexidine gluconate, there was no significant difference observed in the reduction of bacterial isolates regardless of the hair coat condition- long, clipped, or shaved.

Implications

• The results of this study underline the importance of effective disinfection procedures before inserting catheters into horses’ jugular veins. It provides valuable information to veterinary medical practice, emphasizing that both chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine are effective disinfectants regardless of hair coat conditions.
• The observation that there was no significant difference in the performance of chlorhexidine gluconate across different hair coat conditions could lead to cost and time savings as clipping or shaving may not be necessary with this disinfectant.