United States Patent Olhce Patented Aug
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3,597,360 United States Patent Olhce Patented Aug. 3, 11971 l 2 ?ora is maintained even after three: hours of Wearing sur 3,597,360 gical gloves. The disinfectant is in the form of a liquid or SURGICAL SCRUB Galen F. Collins, Bristol, Tenn, and Fred S. Barr and solid soap formulation containing a detergent and a bac Charles F. Bullock, Bristol, Va., assignors to The S. E. teriostat. Bacteriostasis is produced herein by nitromersol. Massengill Company, Bristol, Tenn. No Drawing. Filed May 2, 1968, Ser. No. 726,215 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Int. Cl. Clld 3/48, 3/50 US. Cl. 252-106 3 Claims Various chemical disinfectants can reduce bacterial colonization for a brief period of time. However even his phenols of the hexachlorophene type and iodine when in 10 corporated in scrubs remove only part of the transient ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE bacteria. Other transient bacteria, along with resident bac Various chemical disinfectants can reduce bacterial teria, remain and multiply within a few hours, so that the colonization for a brief period of time. However even bis bacterial ?ora builds back up. For hospital workers, it phenols of the hexachlorophene type and iodine when in would, therefore, be desirable to have a more effective corporated in scrubs remove only part of the transient scrub product. bacteria. Other transient bacteria, along with resident bac The fact that the scrub contemplated herein is effec teria, remain and multiply within a few hours, so that the tive over a longer period than those now known is quite bacterial ?ora builds back up. For hospital workers, it surprising in view of in vitro tests which show very little would, therefore, be desirable to have a more effective bactericidal difference between nitromersol and other or scrub product. The scrub contemplated herein is effective 20 ganomercurial antimicrobials. Equally surprising is the over a longer period than those now known. fact that nitromersol by itself is effective in maintaining a low bacterial ?ora. As shown in our copending applica tion ?led concurrently herewith, combinations of diphenyl BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION and organomercurial antimicrobials maintain a low bac~ 25 terial ?ora for over three hours whereas antimicrobials Much has been written about the bacteriology of the alone do not. Nitromersol, however, has been found to be skin. In fact, one of the greatest factors in cross-infections an exception. is considered by many to be bacteria on hands. The trans Broadly the invention contemplates the use of nitro mitting of cross-infections by bacteria on hands has been mersol in a liquid or solid detergent to form a soap for found even greater than that by airborne bacteria or nasal topical use. However the detergent-antimicrobial com Staph-carriers. Scrubbing with a soap reduces bacterial position will generally include skin conditioners and ?ora logarithmically, about one-half each six minutes. the like. For the purpose of illustration a desirable However it is well known that the use of a disinfectant in liquid base formulation is set forth in Example a. The base the soap reduces bacterial colonization in a briefer period 35 contains a highly concentrated, neutral, anionic synthetic of time and to a greater extent. detergent whose active ingredient is a modi?ed lauryl sul Since complete skin sterilization is not feasible, the im fate plus an amide builder. Additionally included is a neu portance of scrubbing preparations having both an anti tral, essentially nonionic, self-emulsifying, fatty-based bacterial effect and a detergent elfect in reducing the num ester derived from glycerides and particularly suited for ber of bacteria on skin is well established, particularly for 40 handwashing preparations. Lanolins can also be incorpo surgeons, obstricians, and examining physicians, as well rated in liquid scrubs, so modi?ed that they are water as nurses and those applying therapy and dispensing food soluble, essentially nonionic detergents. Polypropylene and medication. Numerous surgical scrub products are on glycol and perfume can also be used in liquid scrubs as the market, and most of these contain hexachlorophene or illustrated herein. iodine bacteriostats in one form or another. However 45 This invention can perhaps best be illustrated by com studies with hexachlorophene and iodine show that these parative examples. In these examples, compositions as well scrub preparations lose their effectiveness in time, due to as bacterial counts before and after scrubbing are given. the build-up of bacterial ?ora, particularly when the To determine its effectiveness in reducing the number of scrubbed hands are gloved. Results obtained indicate that bacteria on hands, the base as well. as antibacterial deter within three hours after washing with these soaps the 50 gents were tested using a slightly modi?ed standard pro antibacterial effect disappears. This is especially signi? cedure. The right hand of each subject was placed in a cant in view of the fact that one-third of surgical gloves sterile 1000 m1. plastic bag and 300 ml, of sterile 0.85% are punctured during the course of an operation. saline was added. The hand was shaken vigorously for three minutes. Following the shaking process, the bac~ SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 55 terial counts were run by standard methods, diluting the saline and plating in petri dishes with MPH Medium Since hexachlorophene and iodine scrubs have very lit (BBL). The plates were incubated at 37° C. for 72 hours. tle bactericidal effect at the end of three hours, it has The number of bacteria per hand (per 300 ml.) are re been proposed that some antibacterial procedure be ported. Following the initial count, the hands were adopted by surgeons and attending nurses after two hours, 60 scrubbed for 4 minutes with the test products, followed by for instance a seventy percent alcohol rinse, and a change rinsing in tap water. When the scrub was completed the to new gloves. right hand was placed in a rubber glove and a bacterial According to the practice of this invention such meas count was conducted on the left hand. The right hand was ures would not be necessary. An antibacterial skin disin allowed to remain in the glove for three hours and then fectant is provided by which an unusually low bacterial a bacterial count was conducted on it. 3,597,360 3 4 Example a ' Percent Part I: Percent Subject Pro-scrub Post-scrub reduction Alkyl sulfate ______________ ....- _________ __ 18-5 1 7 10“ 0 100 Alkanolamide ________________________ .._ 4.5 735E100 5.4X10e 3g Unsulfatcd alcohol _____________________ __ 0.6 5 4 g’: 8 igg Ammonium sulfate ____________________ __ 0.5 5 _____________ ._ 13_s><10@ 0 100 Ammonium chloride ___________________ __ 0.5 Denatilreq ethyl alcohol.''''' 'T““".'""‘." 10'0 Organic mercurial antimicrobial agents are well known. C°mbma;tw_n of 1110150, d1’ and mglycéndes Wlth 10 Hence the preparation or other source of nitromersol a nomomc emulsi?er k--1--"1-"1-_------- -- i (metaphen—CqH5HgNO3) need not be discussed. l_\Ior Water Soluble Polyoxyal y ‘me am) m ----- -- ' mally the scrubbing composition, regardless of ingredients Propylene glycol ----------------------- -- 6‘0 other than the detergent, will contain 0.01 to 1 percent, Perfume ----------------------------- -- 0'1 preferably 0.1 to 0.5 percent, nitromersol by weight based 46 7 15 on the composition. _ ' As indicated hereinbefore, reductions of bacterial ?ora H_ immediately after scrubbing are virtually the same when Part ' 53 3 the organomercurial and bisphenolic antimicrobials are Water """"""""""""""""""""" " ' used. However they do not hold the count down. This 100 00 20 will be apparent from Table I wherein hexachlorophene ' (HEXA), Phenylmercuric acetate (PMA), and other an Procedure.—The ingredients in Part I on a weight basis timicrobials are compared after gloves are worn three are combined and heated to 60° C. to 70° C. using a hours. Averages of at least ?ve determinations are given. TABLE I Bacterial count after scrub Bacterial count after three hours in glove Pre-scrub Post-scrub Percent Pre-scrub Post-glove Percent Active ingredient count count change count count change 3. 86><10° 1. 08x105 —97 3. 86X10° 8. 56x10“ +221 4.1><10? 1. 56X105 —96 4.1><10? 2. 25x105 —46 8. 5x108 2. 29x10“ —73 8. 5x106 9. 3x106 +109 _ 1. 77x10‘l 2. 38X105 —87 1.77Xl0° 1. 46><l06 —17 Nitromersol _________________ ._ 4. 87x106 1. 025x108 —78 4. 87x108 1. 24><1u? —75 water bath and stirring means to make a solution. The Whereas hexachlorophene reduces the bacterial count water, Part H, is then slowly blended in, the composition 97 percent after the scrub, the duration of the effectiveness being gently agitated to prevent incorporation of air into is short. After the glove has been on the hand three hours the product. the count is 221 percent higher than it was prior to the scrub. Phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) is somewhat more effective, the reduction in bacterial count being 96 percent 50 post-scrub, but only 46 percent at the end of three hours. Percent However the reduction in bacterial count after three Subject Pre-scrub Post‘scrub reduction hours is still 75 percent in the case of nitromersol. 2. 8X105 2. 0x104 93 The fact that nitromersol maintains a low bacterial 2. 1x106 7. 0x104 99 2. 4X105 1. 8x104 93 ?ora on the skin was also unexpected in the light of in 5. 5x104 3. 0X104 94 55 vitro work with the antimicrobials. As will be seen in 2. 1X105 1. 2X104 93 Table II there is very little di?erence in in vitro activity Average. _ 5. 77x105 8. 0x104 95 between the bisphenolic and organomercurial antimicro bials. The in vitro work with these products was carried out against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus by When antimicrobials are incorporated in the base, a a tube dilution method.