Effectiveness of FDA-cleared Wound Cleansers for Disinfection of Surgical Surfaces in Resource Limited Environments.

This article evaluates the efficacy of three FDA-approved wound cleansers and an antimicrobial wound gel as potential sanitizers for stainless-steel surgical instruments in austere, resource-limited environments where standard steam sterilization is impractical. Using laboratory strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as ex vivo porcine cecal contents to simulate complex microbial contamination, the study found that all tested products significantly reduced bacterial viability across various storage times (2 hours to 7 days) and temperatures (−20 °C to 50 °C). While complete sterilization was not achieved with cecal contents, substantial reductions in bacterial load were observed, with liquid wound cleansers showing more consistent antimicrobial activity and ease of application compared to the gel. The findings suggest that these wound cleansers could serve as effective interim disinfectants for surgical tools in battlefield or mass-casualty scenarios where conventional sterilization is unavailable, though further research is needed to assess efficacy against mixed pathogenic populations and diverse materials.