As it turned out, there were about 3 times the number of infections among the patients who did not use povidone-iodine than among those who said they used it. It did not seem to matter how many times povidone-iodine was used. The “As” who did not use povidone-iodine had results similar to the “Bs.”
It was many years ago, and the study design was crude. However, it does seem to support the suggestion for vaginal cleansing.
Steve Ross, MD
Port Jefferson, New York
This Editorial is timely in that Dr. Dominguez-Bello and colleagues recently published an article in Nature Medicine titled, “Partial restoration of the microbiota of cesarean-born infants via vaginal microbial transfer.”1 Dr. Dominguez-Bello is one of the founders of the idea of “vaginal seeding,” or using the natural biome of the vagina on a newborn immediately after CD by swabbing the baby with the bacteria from the vagina.
I find it interesting that there are two very different ideas about the biome at this time. Vaginal seeding is a new trend that a few patients have asked about during prenatal care. The jury is still out on seeding, but a larger study is currently underway at New York University. Of course, infection is one of the risks of seeding. I appreciate hearing both sides of the issue.
Deborah Herchelroath, DO
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Reference
- Dominguez-Bello MG, De Jesus-Labor KM, Shen N, et al. Partial restoration of the microbiota of cesarean-born infants via vaginal microbial transfer [published online ahead of print February 1, 2016]. Nat Med. doi:10.1038/nm.4039.
I would like to thank our readers for taking the time from their busy schedules to write about their clinical experiences and current practices for reducing infectious complications following CD.
Dr. Kerr raises the important issue of the apparent contradictory finding of the beneficial impact of vaginal cleansing on endometritis without a beneficial effect on the overall rate of fever. In the trial reported by Starr,1 fever was defined as a temperature above 38˚C at any time after CD and endometritis was defined as a temperature above 38.4˚C PLUS uterine tenderness occurring more than 24 hours after CD. Given these 2 definitions one can understand the differential effect of vaginal cleansing on fever versus endometritis.
Dr. Simmons raises the intriguing question of the impact of an iodine-containing surgical preparation on newborn thyroid function. There are few studies addressing this issue. One study reports a transient increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in a small percentage of newborns whose mothers received an iodine preparation.2 Another study reports no effect of an iodine surgical preparation on newborn thyroid function indices.3
I agree with the guidance of Drs. Leyva and Davis that we can help prevent postcesarean endometritis by minimizing the number of cervical examinations, changing scrubs between deliveries, and by ensuring that an intravenous anti‑ biotic is given before skin incision.
Dr. Tolley wonders if all women should receive vaginal cleansing, regardless of delivery route. It is possible that such an approach would be effective and it deserves study. Given the lower rate of endometritis following vaginal delivery compared with CD, many more women having a vaginal delivery would need to be treated to prevent one case of endometritis. Dr. Ross mentions his experience with the benefit of outpatient vaginal cleansing in the 2 weeks prior to delivery. Many general surgeons are recommending that their patients shower with chlorhexidine the day before surgery in order to reduce the rate of postoperative infection. Short-term and long-term outpatient vaginal cleansing prior to delivery deserves additional study.
Dr. Herchelroath raises the possibility that vaginal cleansing will decrease the ability of the newborn to develop a normal microbiome because it may not be exposed to sufficient vaginal bacteria. This possibility certainly deserves additional study.
The questions and guidance of our readers were incredibly helpful and stimulating. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
References
- Starr RV, Zurawski J, Ismail M. Preoperative vaginal preparation with povidone-iodine and the risk of postcesarean endometritis. Obstet Gynecol. 2005;105(5 pt 1):1024–1029.
- Nili F, Hantoushzadeh S, Alimohamadi A, et al. Iodine-containing disinfectants in preparation for cesarean section: impact on thyroid profile in cord blood. Postgrad Med J. 2015;91(1082):681–684.
- Ordookhani A, Pearce EN, Mirmiran P, Azizi F, Braverman LE. The effect of type of delivery and povidone-iodine application at delivery on cord dried-blood-specimen thyrotropin level and the rate of hyperthyrotropinemia in mature and normal-birth-weight neonates residing in an iodine-replete area. Thyroid. 2007;17(11):1097–1102.
