Combating chlorhexidine allergy in perioperative setting

Chlorhexidine is labelled as hidden allergen as the health care professionals (HCPs) are unaware of the wide range of products containing chlorhexidine. Adverse events from chlorhexidine allergy can be reduced by appropriate perioperative management especially heeding on positive history during preoperative assessment, awareness regarding this hidden allergen, and educating HCPs on possible chlorhexidine-containing products. The regulatory agencies all over the world have issued recommendations regarding safety and risk of hypersensitivity reactions with chlorhexidine-containing products. The onus lies on HCPs to disseminate this knowledge to the stakeholders. We present a brief update to combat chlorhexidine allergy in perioperative setting.