Background: While phloroglucinol is widely prescribed in European countries for its antispasmodic properties, recent high quality data failed to demonstrate its superiority to placebo in alleviating abdominal pain. Rumors suggest that injectable presentation of phloroglucinol may erase povidone-iodine stains. We thus aimed to evaluate its efficacy in this new indication.

Methods: In this double-blind, controlled trial, we randomly assigned 9 squares of fabric obtained from common white coat to receive injectable phloroglucinol (experimental arm), stain remover (active control arm) or water (placebo arm). The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in stain intensity 10 min after the intervention.

Results: In placebo and active control arms, povidone-iodine stains remained unchanged 10 min after treatment application. In contrast, the stain disappeared completely in the experimental arm.

Conclusion: Injectable phloroglucinol was more effective than usual stain remover and water to remove povidone-iodine stains from white coats.