Six Long-Standing Questions about Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgery
Massimo Sartelli, Marja A. Boermeester, Miguel Caínzos, Federico Coccolini, Stijn W. de Jonge, Kemal Raşa, E. Patchen Dellinger, Deborah A. McNamara, Donald E. Fry, Yunfeng Cui, Samir Delibegović, Zaza Demetrashvili, Belinda De Simone, George Gkiokas, Timothy Craig Hardcastle, Kamal M.F. Itani, Arda Işık, Francesco M. Labricciosa, Varut Lohsiriwat, Sanjay Marwah, Tadeja Pintar, Jennifer Rickard, Vishal G. Shelat, Fausto Catena, Philip S. Barie
Abstract
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common adverse event occurring in surgical patients. Optimal prevention of SSIs requires the bundled integration of a variety of measures before, during, and after surgery. Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is an effective measure for preventing SSIs. It aims to counteract the inevitable introduction of bacteria that colonize skin or mucosa into the surgical site during the intervention. This document aims to guide surgeons in appropriate administration of SAP by addressing six key questions. The expert panel identifies a list of principles in response to these questions that every surgeon around the world should always respect in administering SAP.