Disinfection of the peritoneal dialysis bag medication port: Comparison of disinfectant agent and disinfection time

Summary at a Glance This is an in vitro study looking at the effectiveness of the types and duration of application of disinfectants in eliminating several micro‐organisms at the medication port of peritoneal dialysis bags. The authors found that disinfecting with 2% chlorhexidine for at least 5 s was effective. ABSTRACT Aim The aim of the present study was to compare different disinfection techniques for the peritoneal dialysis bag medication port (MP). Methods An experimental study was conducted testing different cleaning agents (70% alcohol vs 2% chlorhexidine) and time periods (5, 10 and 60 s) for disinfection of the MP. Five microorganisms (S. aureus, E. coli, A. baumannii and C. parapsilosis, CNS) were prepared for use as contaminants of the MP. MP were incubated in Tryptic soy broth at 36°C for 24 h, after which, they were seeded on a Biomérieux blood agar plate and incubated for 24 h at 36°C. Results Three hundred peritoneal dialysis bags were analyzed regarding the time expose to the disinfectant showed a statistically significant difference in the number of culture positive (7/100) P = 0.001; Gram positive (6/100) P = 0.006 for 5 s, one positive culture and turbid bag with 10 s, while friction for 60 s showed all negative results. The comparison between disinfectant, alcohol or chlorhexidine, 150 bag in each group, showed that the ones disinfected with alcohol had five turbid bags, eight positive cultures and seven germs identified, while all bags disinfected with chlorhexidine were negative for all parameters, with a difference statistically significant (P = 0.004). Conclusion Our results suggest that the MP should be scrubbed with 2% chlorhexidine for at least 5 s; if alcohol 70% is used the length of friction should not be inferior to 10 s.