Absorption of chlorhexidine from the intact skin of newborn infants

Abstract

34 newborn infants who had been bathed in a standard manner with Hibiscrub, a detergent-based preparation containing 4% Hibitane chlorhexidine gluconate, were studied to find out whether it was absorbed percutaneously. Low levels of chlorhexidine were found in the blood of all 10 newborns sampled by heel prick, and 5 of 24 from whom venous blood was taken. The detection of chlorhexidine varied greatly with the method and timing of sampling, and no correlation was found between gestational or postnatal age and chlorhexidine levels.