Cetrimide Health Dictionary

Abrasion means the rubbing-o? of the surface of the skin or of a mucous membrane due to some mechanical injury. Such injuries, though slight in themselves, are apt to allow the entrance of dirt-containing organisms, and so to lead to an ABSCESS or some more severe form of in?ammation.

Treatment The most e?ective form of treatment consists in the thorough and immediate cleansing of the wound with soap and water. An antiseptic such as 1 per cent cetrimide can then be applied, and a sterile dry dressing.... abrasion

See CETRIMIDE.... cetavlon

Crusta lactea, or cradle cap as it is technically known, is a form of SEBORRHOEA of the scalp which is not uncommon in nursing infants. It usually responds to a daily shampoo with cetrimide solution. Warm olive oil gently massaged into the scalp and left overnight, after which the scales can be washed o?, also helps with the condition.... cradle cap

Processes by which vegetative organisms, excluding spores, are killed in order to prevent the items disinfected from passing on infection. Equipment, bedlinen and hard surfaces may all be disinfected – the method chosen will depend on the material and size of the object. One of the most important procedures in preventing the spread of infection is the careful washing of hands before handling equipment and between treating di?erent patients. STERILISATION is di?erent from disinfection in that the methods used kill all living organisms and spores.

Methods of disinfection (1) Skin, wounds, etc. – chlorhexidine (with detergent or spirit); iodine (with detergent or spirit); cetrimide; ethyl alcohol; all must stay in contact with the skin for long enough for bacteria to be killed. (2) Hard surfaces (?oors, walls, etc.) – hypochlorites (i.e. bleaches) with or without detergent; cetrimide; iodine-containing solutions; ethyl alcohol. (3) Equipment – wet or dry heat (e.g. boiling for more than 5 minutes); submersion in liquid disinfectants for the appropriate time (e.g. glutaraldehyde 2·5 per cent), chlorhexidine in spirit 70 per cent, formaldehyde (irritant), chlorhexidine (0·1 per cent aqueous), hypochlorites.... disinfection

Chemicals applied to the skin in order to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms, thereby preventing infection. Common antiseptics are chlorhexidine, cetrimide, hexachlorophene, and compounds containing iodine.

(See also disinfectants; aseptic technique.)... antiseptics

n. a chemical that destroys or inhibits the growth of disease-causing bacteria and other microorganisms and is sufficiently nontoxic to be applied to the skin or mucous membranes to cleanse wounds and prevent infections or to be used internally to treat infections of the intestine and bladder. Examples are *cetrimide, *chlorhexidine, and povidone-*iodine.... antiseptic

n. an agent that destroys or removes bacteria and other microorganisms. In medicine disinfectants are used to cleanse unbroken skin. An example is *cetrimide.... disinfectant