Caution for chlorhexidine gluconate use for oral care: insufficient data

Excerpt

Oropharyngeal colonization is a crucial step toward tracheobronchial colonization and pneumonia in critically ill patients. Hence, oropharyngeal decontamination [namely, with antiseptics such as chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX)] has formed the basis of pneumonia prevention. However, the large body of data regarding its efficacy in terms of pneumonia rates reduction is inconclusive. Numerous meta-analyses have explored the existing studies in different ways, and have yielded contrasted conclusions. The more recent ones were more consistent in finding that favorable effects of CHX were limited to surgical patients and with greater CHX concentrations [1, 2]. Despite these controversial data and weak support from evidence, using CHX has been generalized in intra-hospital care to prevent respiratory infections. …