soap

Yeah, they are doing that in many hospitals, even tho they suggested Dial soap before...there are super bugs out there now that resist most antibacterial products.

They gave me a bottle of a product called HibaCleanse (something like that) to prep. One half bottle for each of the 
two nights before but they didn't ask for the empty. It is kind of funny.....

I also am supposed to use a soap called Hibiclens 4% the night before and the morning of surgery. It's not supplied to me, I'm supposed to go buy it.

That's the stuff. I think any drugstore has it. I had to buy some for a foot infection later I
think I got mine at Walgreens at that point. For as much as they charge for teh operation you think they
could have tossed that in. Oh well.....

I used a type of hibiclens the night before and morning of my surgery. It helps reduce the bacteria on the skin's surface and reduce chance of infection.

It's definitely new to me

I am still pre-op but my MIL had a surgery in 2011 and had to use an antibacterial soap the night before.  Heck I am sure if they didn't require it some may not even bathe. Anti bacterial dries my skin out so bad.  If I have to use it I will have to put lotion on afterwards.  My lotion is dye and scent free though so hopefully that will be ok.

Laurie0825

Yes, it  *is* new, and many hosptials are following that procedure for surgical patients.

MRSA = Methicillin-Resistant Staphylo****us Aureus has been in the news for quite a while, but hospitals are taking even more infection prevention steps now.

I can speak from personal experience, because I just got rid of a MRSA infection I likely picked up in December- it's finally gone now, after three different antibiotics!!!

These germs are often picked up from hospitals and other health care facilities, and being in the presence of all the different antibiotics,  they build up resistance to many.  Also, I had to have a  culture of the wound done to find the antibiotic that worked for that specific germ. 

I'm also allergic to penicillin and Sulfa (sulfonamide) drugs,so I didn't have a very big arsenal of weapons.

The special soap contains Chlorhexidine Gluconate - a replacement for  Hexachlorophene, which was banned for use as an antiseptic in the US in 1972.   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexachlorophene)

You can still get it by prescription,  but it is expensive, since most insurances won't  cover it and because of that, most hospitals just go with the replacement antiseptic.

I didn't have to take the bottle back in, though.