Vaginal Preparation with Povidone Iodine before Caesarean Delivery: A Randomized Control Trial

Background: Infection is the commonest complication associated with Caesarean section (CS). There is a need to modify our practice to reduce infectious morbidity associated with Caesarean section.
Objectives: The study aimed at investigating the effect of vaginal preparation with antiseptic lotion on post-Caesarean infection rate, namely; maternal febrile morbidity, endometritis and wound infection.
Subjects and Methods: A randomized trial where patients were randomly assigned into two groups: Intervention group and a control group with 65 patients in each group.  Patients were reviewed within the 3^rd and 5^th postoperative day to look for predefined variables for maternal febrile morbidity, endometritis and wound site infection.
Results: Vaginal preparation with povidone-iodine was found to decrease the risk of post-Caesarean febrile morbidity, endometritis and wound infection. There was a statistically significant reduction in endometritis observed in the intervention group (p= 0.041)
Conclusion: Vaginal preparation with antiseptic lotion significantly reduced post-operative Caesarean endometritis, and composite infectious morbidity hence beneficial. Since this intervention is expensive, it gives a lot of relief and benefits at virtually no cost.