An Ounce of Prevention​

The orthopedic device industry has devoted its efforts to the treatment of disease, leaving prevention to other players. A new paradigm is evolving where prevention is weighted as necessary and appropriate care for patients. This can take many forms, from antimicrobial adhesives for operative extremities to antimicrobial washes to replace saline irrigation.

The solution to pollution is dilution

Irrisept, Surgiphor, and Xperience all market surgical wound irrigation fluid that makes bacteriostatic, but not cytotoxic, claims. Irrisept's low concentration chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) 0.05% in sterile water is propelled from the bottle by squeezing, leading to surgeon-controlled mechanical debridement. It's a novel approach to wound sterility or an expensive wound wash. Time will tell if this can get established in the orthopedic market.

Maybe it is the iodine molecule

While some advocate ready-to-use iodine-based solutions like Surgiphor, others look at this challenge differently. I2PURE focuses on molecular iodine and isolates it to be a non-staining and non-toxic biocidal ingredient without the need for any other iodine species. At a pathogen kill efficiency of greater than 99.999% wrapped up in a non-cytotoxic formulation, maybe this focused approach is the answer.