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One recently developed strategy to prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) has been unit-wide patient bathing with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) to broadly decrease skin colonization with microbial pathogens. The concept has been supported by several large trials that have suggested potential reductions in rates of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections, central line bloodstream infections, and multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) acquisition (see, for example, NEJM JW Infect Dis Feb 6 2013). Still, CHG is relatively expensive, and there is concern that ongoing use could lead to the emergence of resistant organisms.
In a recent cluster-randomized, crossover trial conducted between July 2012 and July 2013 i…