About the possibility of using povidone iodine in surgical practice

Antiseptics are an integral part of modern medicine in the treatment and prevention of infection. Antiseptics are used as a local treatment for infected wounds. They are microbicidal and have a broader spectrum of antimicrobial activity than antibiotics. However, not all antiseptics remain effective due to the emergence of multi-resistance in many of the species of pathogens they target. Of the many currently available antimicrobials, drugs such as povidone-iodine remain relevant and effective even after decades of use in the antiseptic field. The purpose of this review was to substantiate the efficacy and safety of povidone-iodine and to determine its place in the treatment of wounds. In the work, there are analyzed modern actual native and foreign literature sources, and also there are presented the authors’ observations in the format of a clinical case about the course of povidone-iodine preparation use in the treatment of a 58-year-old patient with the clinical picture of the necrotic bullous erysipelas. The effective action of the drug was demonstrated. The authors detailed the suppressive effect of povidone-iodine on the structures critical for the survival and replication of microorganisms, which determines the effectiveness of the drug in the treatment of infected wounds. Among the many available antiseptic agents, iodophor-based preparations such as povidone-iodine remain relevant. Povidone-iodine promotes wound healing, in addition, it has a wide antimicrobial spectrum of action, lack of resistance, good tolerability, and anti-inflammatory properties. Due to its antiseptic action and the wide profile of positive properties, povidone-iodine remains effective as an antiseptic agent aimed at the treatment and prevention of surgical infection.