title: Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis.
abstract: Improvements in antibiotic prophylaxis, including the timing of initial administration, appropriate choice of antibiotic agents, and the limiting of the duration of administration, have more clearly defined the value of this technique in many clinical surgical settings. Studies of antibiotic prophylaxis designed during the next decade should strongly consider individual patient risk factors when new antibiotic agents are tested or administration techniques are refined. A concentrated effort should be made in areas of clinical surgery in which the value of antibiotic prophylaxis has not been proven. When in doubt, it appears that a one-dose systemic regimen of an appropriately chosen cephalosporin given during the immediate preoperative period is safe and the indicated practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Nichols
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001062:Appendectomy / Q000379:methods; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000379:methods; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011292:Premedication; D012307:Risk Factors; D013270:Stomach / Q000601:surgery; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents