Comparison of povidone-iodine solution and soft white paraffin ointment in the management of skeletal pin-sites: A pilot study

Abstract

Summary Povidone-iodine solution is currently employed for pin-site care in many institutions. There are concerns that this agent reacts with the metal pins and can impede healing. This study compared two different treatment protocols for the care of the skin surrounding skeletal pin-sites. This practical clinical trial, employing stratified sampling, compared 10% cutaneous povidone-iodine solution with soft white paraffin ointment for the treatment of skeletal pin-sites. The end points of the study were the presence of clinical signs of pin-site inflammation and/or infection and pin removed as treatment was completed. Data were analysed on 116 pin-sites from 18 patients. Seventy-two pins (62%) were treated with povidone-iodine and 44 (37.9%) with paraffin ointment. The group treated with soft white paraffin ointment more frequently developed clinical signs of infection ( n =15; 34.1%) than the povidone-iodine treatment group ( n =13; 18.1%) ( χ 2 (df)=3.8(1); p =0.05). Also, 43.8% of pin-sites on the medial aspect of the lower leg displayed inflammation/infection compared with 16.7% of other lower limb pin-sites ( χ 2 (df)=9.28(1); p =0.002). The use of an antibacterial agent in the management of skeletal pin-sites reduces the likelihood of infection. Further studies are needed to determine whether anatomical position of the pin-site is a risk factor for the development of pin-site infection and whether intervention could reduce inflammation/infection at medial lower limb pin-sites.