Medicare Alcohol Prep Pads are non-woven pads impregnated with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol
• Ideal for cleaning skin prior to injection and general topical antimicrobial cleansing
• Sealed in a flexible foil sachet
• Made from biodegradable crepe paper
• Size: 16 X 10.5cm
It is important, when purchasing and using alcohol prep pads, to be aware of their proper function. Unlike wound cleansers, alcohol prep pads should never be used on open cuts, scrapes and grazes. The alcohol content in prep pads is far greater than that of wound cleansers and is therefore far too high to use on broken skin. Their intended purpose is to clean the skin before inserting a needle or making a cut. By cleaning the skin prior to breaking it, germs on the skin's surface are cleared away. This means that there is less of a chance that they will get into the opening where they could potentially lead to infections. These are especially useful for patients who have to daily administer medicine via needle or do frequent skin prick tests, such as those with diabetes.
In addition to sterilizing the skin, alcohol prep pads are also useful to have in first aid kits. They can be used to clean any piece of equipment which is used by more than one patient. This also helps to prevent patient to patient transfer of infection-causing viruses and bacteria.
