Study of prophylactic single-dose antibiotic to prevent surgical site infection

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) have been linked to longer hospital stays and higher costs. Infection occurs when endogenous flora is translocated to a generally sterile site. It's also feasible to seed the surgical site with illness from afar (especially in patients with prostheses or another implant). SSIs are influenced by bacterial inoculums and pathogenicity, host defenses, preoperative care, and intraoperative management. Antibiotic prophylaxis is therefore essential to address this problem. This study to evaluate the effectiveness of single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing surgical site infection in elective surgeries.Methods: This prospective study included 50 patients receiving elective surgery at a tertiary hospital's department of general surgery. Relevant information about each patient was obtained using a Performa developed for the project. Cefuroxime was given 30 minutes before the incision, and effect on post-operative wound infection was investigated.Results: We had 50 cases in our study, predominantly males, with maximum individuals in the 41-50 years age group. Cholecystectomy cases presented with the most SSIs (20%). S. aureus was the most common causative organism of SSI in this study.Conclusions: A single preoperative dose of antibiotic cefuroxime effectively prevents surgical site infection in elective cases assuming an uncomplicated procedure.