To Vag Prep or Not to Prep: That is the Question (Aug 2023 Data)

CS is the most important risk factor for postpartum infection with a 20-fold increase compared to the vaginal delivery route. For post-cesarean section metritis, infection is considered to be primary due to ascending bacteria from the vagina. Although antibiotic prophylaxis is thought to reduce postoperative infections, it has little effect on bacterial colonization of the vagina. Over the past 20 years, multiple randomized clinical trials have investigated the effect of preoperative vaginal preparation/disinfection (including povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine, metronidazole gel, etc.) on postoperative infection, but the conclusions have not been consistent. Actually, a publication from June 2023, which we summarized in a prior episode back in Dec 2022 when it was released ahead of print, concluded that vaginal pre- CS prep with povidone-iodine did NOT prevent infectious morbidity over standard infectious precaution use (abdominal prep and standard IV antibiotics). But as of August 2023, there is new data that seeks to provide a more definitive recommendation. In this episode, we will summarize this new systematic review and meta-analysis (AJOG MFM) examining the effectiveness of vaginal cleaning with either povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine acetate in the prevention of post CS infectious morbidity.