The Effect of Bacterial Decolonization Before Skin Cancer Surgery on Infection Rate of Lower Extremity Wounds Left Open to Heal

NCT ID: NCT07142408

Last Updated: 2025-08-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE3

Total Enrollment

848 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-03-13

Study Completion Date

2030-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if reducing bacterial load on the skin and nostrils with topical antibacterial soap and ointment, respectively, reduces rate of infection in surgical sites on lower leg wounds left open to heal in adults undergoing skin cancer surgery.

The main question it aims to answer is:

Does Hibiclens antibacterial skin cleanser and mupirocin antibacterial ointment applied to nostrils prior to surgery lower the number of times participants develop an infection in their open wound on the lower leg?

Researchers will compare the treatment group to the standard of care, which involves no treatment prior to surgery, to see if topical antibiotics applied prior to surgery affect infection rates between the two groups.

Participants randomized to the treatment group will:

Shower with Hibiclens once daily for 5 days prior to the day of surgery and apply mupirocin to the nostrils twice daily for 5 days prior to the day of surgery. They will then send pictures of their surgical site to monitor for signs of infection at 2-week and 4-week post-operation.

Participants randomized to the control group (standard of care) will:

NOT apply the topical antibacterials prior to the day of surgery. They will then send pictures of their surgical site to monitor for signs of infection at 2-week intervals for 1 month after surgery.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if reducing bacterial load on the skin and nostrils with topical antibacterial soap and ointment, respectively, reduces rate of infection in surgical sites on lower leg wounds left open to heal in adults undergoing skin cancer surgery.

The main question it aims to answer is:

Does Hibiclens antibacterial skin cleanser and mupirocin ointment applied to nostrils prior to surgery lower the number of times participants develop an infection in their open wound on the lower leg?

Researchers will compare the treatment group to the standard of care, which involves no treatment prior to surgery, to see if topical antibiotics applied prior to surgery affect infection rates between the two groups.

Participants randomized to the treatment group will:

1. Shower with Hibiclens (Chlorhexidine Gluconate Solution 4% w/v) once daily for 5 days prior to the day of surgery
2. Apply 2% mupirocin ointment to the nostrils twice daily for 5 days prior to the day of surgery
3. Come into the office for their skin cancer surgery. They will be provided with standard wound care instructions, which entails daily gentle cleansing with soap/water, pat dry, then apply Vaseline, nonadherent gauze, and paper tape.
4. Send pictures of their surgical site at 2-week and 4-week post-operation, which will be monitored for signs of infection by the study physicians.
5. If there's a concern for infection, they will come into the office to swab the wound site to determine the cause of infection. If there's no concern for infection, they will not need to return to the office.

Participants randomized to the control group (standard of care) will:

1. NOT apply the topical antibacterials prior to the day of surgery
2. Come into the office for their skin cancer surgery. They will be provided with standard wound care instructions, which entails daily gentle cleansing with soap/water, pat dry, then apply Vaseline, nonadherent gauze, and paper tape.
3. Send pictures of their surgical site at 2-week and 4-week post-operation, which will be monitored for signs of infection by the study physicians.
4. If there's a concern for infection, they will come into the office to swab the wound site to determine the cause of infection. If there's no concern for infection, they will not need to return to the office.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Surgical Wound Infection

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Treatment Group

This group will be prophylactically treated with topical antibiotics every day for 5 days prior to surgery. Participants will shower with Hibiclens antiseptic skin cleanser once daily and apply mupirocin ointment to the nares twice daily, in the morning and evening.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Chlorhexidine gluconate (4%)

Intervention Type DRUG

Chlorhexidine 4% solution will be applied from the neck down (avoiding the face, penis, and vagina), allowed to sit on the skin for one minute, then rinsed off in the shower every day for 5 days prior to surgery.

Mupirocin 2% Ointment

Intervention Type DRUG

Mupirocin 2% ointment will be applied to the inside of the nostrils twice daily, in the morning and evening, for 5 days prior to surgery. A small amount of the ointment will be placed on the tip of a cotton swab to facilitate application to each nostril.

Control Group

This group will NOT be prophylactically treated with Hibiclens antiseptic skin cleanser and mupirocin ointment prior to surgery.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Chlorhexidine gluconate (4%)

Chlorhexidine 4% solution will be applied from the neck down (avoiding the face, penis, and vagina), allowed to sit on the skin for one minute, then rinsed off in the shower every day for 5 days prior to surgery.

Intervention Type DRUG

Mupirocin 2% Ointment

Mupirocin 2% ointment will be applied to the inside of the nostrils twice daily, in the morning and evening, for 5 days prior to surgery. A small amount of the ointment will be placed on the tip of a cotton swab to facilitate application to each nostril.

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Hibiclens

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Age at least 18 years old
* Scheduled to undergo surgical treatment for skin cancer on the lower extremities and have no other surgeries scheduled in the coming weeks after the procedure
* Will have a surgical wound that will be left open to heal by secondary intention

Exclusion Criteria

* Age under 18 years old
* Have a known allergy to chlorhexidine or mupirocin
* Have a history of Staphylococcus aureus infection
* Have a history of heart valve or joint replacement surgery requiring pre-operative antibiotics
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

University of California, Davis

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Washington University School of Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Baylor College of Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Princeton Healthcare System

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

The Cleveland Clinic

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Georgia

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network, Pennsylvania

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

The Cooper Health System

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

The Center for Dermatologic Surgery at Cooper University Health Care

Marlton, New Jersey, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Naomi Lawrence, MD

Role: CONTACT

(856) 596-3040

Faria Nusrat, BS

Role: CONTACT

(856) 596-3040

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Naomi Lawrence, MD

Role: primary

856-596-3040

Faria Nusrat, BS

Role: backup

(856) 596-3040

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Smith H, Borchard K, Cherian P, Tai Y, Vinciullo C. Randomized Controlled Trial of Preoperative Topical Decolonization to Reduce Surgical Site Infection for Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Swab-Negative Mohs Micrographic Surgery Patients. Dermatol Surg. 2019 Feb;45(2):229-233. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000001662.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30204741 (View on PubMed)

Cherian P, Gunson T, Borchard K, Tai Y, Smith H, Vinciullo C. Oral antibiotics versus topical decolonization to prevent surgical site infection after Mohs micrographic surgery--a randomized, controlled trial. Dermatol Surg. 2013 Oct;39(10):1486-93. doi: 10.1111/dsu.12318.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24090258 (View on PubMed)

Molina GE, Yu SH, Neel VA. Observations Regarding Infection Risk in Lower-Extremity Wound Healing by Second Intention. Dermatol Surg. 2020 Oct;46(10):1342-1344. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000002094. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31415257 (View on PubMed)

Dixon AJ, Dixon MP, Askew DA, Wilkinson D. Prospective study of wound infections in dermatologic surgery in the absence of prophylactic antibiotics. Dermatol Surg. 2006 Jun;32(6):819-26; discussion 826-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2006.32167.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16792648 (View on PubMed)

Liu X, Sprengers M, Nelemans PJ, Mosterd K, Kelleners-Smeets NWJ. Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infections in Dermatological Surgery. Acta Derm Venereol. 2018 Feb 7;98(2):246-250. doi: 10.2340/00015555-2844.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29136259 (View on PubMed)

Schimmel J, Belcher M, Vieira C, Lawrence N, Decker A. Incidence of Surgical Site Infections in Second Intention Healing After Dermatologic Surgery. Dermatol Surg. 2020 Dec;46(12):1492-1497. doi: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000002409.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32483093 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

Cooper IRB Number 21-119

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Antibiotic Tumescent For Chronic Wounds
NCT06327113 RECRUITING PHASE2