Everyone gets hurt. We, humans, are creatures of extreme fragility. The smallest of the falls can cause physical damage that can cut open our skin and expose us to infections and other physical traumas. The best way to secure yourself from any collateral damage that might be done after your bodily injury is to disinfect it.
So far, the market has been fraught with skin disinfectant products of varying quality. After careful comparison, we come to the conclusion that the best one is a skin disinfectant swab stick.
As its name suggests, this kind of swab stick is pre-saturated with a skin disinfectant. The disinfectant solution contained kills microorganisms quickly, so you don’t have to wait long to soak the sponge head. Generally speaking, it is made of disposable materials, thus reducing the chances of cross-infection. It works by eliminating the cell wall of microbes, which causes them to get exposed to the white blood cells of the body and ultimately get destroyed. Surgeons can find it a perfect choice to sanitize patients’ skins before injection or operation, for its effectiveness and convenience.
Disinfectant can be formulated with chlorhexidine or iodophor. The major difference of the two lies in the antibacterial function. To make it clearer, iodophor doesn’t have this feature while chlorhexidine maintains antimicrobial activity for up to 12 hours. Hence, chlorhexidine skin disinfectant is an ideal pick for medical applications. Chlorhexidine coming in different concentrations can be used for different purposes. Here are the common applications of chlorhexidine:
(1) Skin disinfection: soak or wipe the skin for 2-3 minutes with a disinfectant solution of 0.5% chlorhexidine and 70% alcohol. This can minimize the germs that get into the bodies. For example, doctors will use this kind of disinfectant on the skin where they are going to give injections or before operation.
(2) Wound disinfection: wash the wounds for 2 minutes with 0.05% chlorhexidine solution. It not only kills the existing bacteria on the injury but also blocks the path for potential bacteria to enter from the air and the surroundings.
(3) Disinfection for gynecology and obstetrics: wash vagina or wipe vulva with 0.01% – 0.1% chlorhexidine solution. Doctors and surgeons thoroughly apply antiseptics on the skin before they conduct their probing and cut-opening of the skin. Then potential bacteria and harmful microbes can’t enter the body as soon as it is exposed.
(4) Disinfection for contaminated surface: spray and soak the surface with 0.02%-0.5% solution; wipe and disinfect it for 10-40 minutes.
The CDC says the most effective skin disinfectant for now is the one formulated with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG). That’s because CHG has a rapid, broad-spectrum, and lasting bactericidal function, considerably reducing microorganisms on the skin. A research conducted by the National Biotechnology Information of the United States shows that one-step 2% CHG skin disinfection is more effective than the two-step povidone-iodine method. Also, the single-step disinfectant greatly reduces the risk of infectious transfusion reactions.
The most exciting breakthrough in antiseptic after povidone-iodine should be the skin disinfectant formulated with 2% CHG and 70% IPA (isopropanol). CHG can destroy cell membranes and separate them into precipitable substances, while IPA can quickly destroy and denature the proteins of microbial cells.
Mantacc has created MIP-707F skin disinfection swab stick which has 2% CHG and 70% IPA, which meets the standards set by the FDA. Additionally, it is ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 and CE certified. This pre-saturated swab stick is used for skin disinfection preparation before injection and operation, a perfect cleaning helper for medical practitioners. Given its effective and powerful disinfection, it is ideal for clinics and hospitals. Also, the improved ability in antisepsis preparation provides higher efficiency and safety for any operation. Besides, its separate packaging brings convenience to the users and reduces the possibilities of cross-contamination during storage and transportation.
