The “Torment” of Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis among Surgeons

Abstract

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is one of the peri-operative measures for preventing surgical site infections (SSIs). Its goal is to counteract the proliferation of bacteria in the surgical site during intervention in order to reduce the risk of SSIs. SAP should be administered for surgical interventions where the benefit expected (prevention of SSIs) is higher compared to the risk (serious side effects, such as acute kidney injury, Clostridioides difficile infection, and the spread of antimicrobial resistance). In prescribing SAP, surgeons should have both the awareness necessary “to handle antibiotics with care”, and the knowledge required to use them appropriately.

Keywords

• surgical antibiotic prophylaxis
• surgical site infections
• antimicrobial resistance
• antimicrobial prescription