Stupid clinical question: help me out

[Maverikk]

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Hey all, I often ask my pharmacists at my hospital theoretical questions and they are ballers about explaining why some things aren't possible so let me ask you: why can't you give povidone-iodine intravenously? It's a broad spectrum abx used in surgery, I understand it wouldn't be good for the thyroid but is this the only reason why...I was just thinking about this because of a case of KPC bacteremia we had recently. Thanks for the help

 

[Sparda29]

I'm gonna guess that it is just too toxic.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(76)91406-9/abstract

^ They used povidone-iodine topically on a burn patient and the patient ended up with severe metabolic acidosis.

It's an antiseptic, not an antibiotic. Antibiotics are antiseptics that can be used inside the body.

 

[zelman]

Anyone have access to this full text? It might have the answer. http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(06)00573-1/abstract

Though, I think sparda is right.

 

[Old Timer]

Basically:

If you got a high enough concentration in the blood to kill the bug, it would probably kill the patient too.

 

[StellargalS]

systemically iodine is rapidly metabolized and sequestered in the thyroid as u speculated. Prior to this it would be potentially corrosive to the peripheral vasculature although I found no direct information from which to draw this conclusion. Only indirect via information on oral administration.

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search

Ultimately I gather it would need a specialized method of delivery to override these negatives.