Ignaz Philip Semmelweiss (1818-1865) and Joseph Lister (1827-1912) discovered and demonstrated respectively, the effect appropriate hand hygiene through hand washing and disinfection had on surgical site infections.  This important finding has since become a critical component of the surgical preparation undertaken by all members of the surgical team (perioperative staff).

Surgical scrubs or surgical hand washes and more recently surgical rubs are used by the surgical team in preparation for an intra-operative procedure. The primary goal of surgical hand preparation is to eliminate transient flora, reduce resident skin flora and inhibit the growth of bacteria under the gloved hand for the duration of the surgical procedure.

MICROSHIELD surgical scrub formulations include chlorhexidine gluconate (4% CHG) and povidone-iodine (PVP-I) and an alcohol-based surgical rub called MICROSHIELD Antiseptic Hand Rub Solution – also locally referred to as MARS.