title: Major reasons to prescribe antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery.
abstract: Based on the Belgian recommendation for antimicrobial prophylaxis (AMP) in surgery in 1996, a prospective survey of 3 months was carried out in 10 acute care hospitals in Lebanon to describe the major reasons to prescribe AMP in surgery. Of 961 surgical procedures, 767 (80%) received one or several antibiotics; the surgical site infection rate was 4%. Results indicate that duration of procedures over 1 hour and patient older than 60 years represent the main reasons for prescribing AMP in Lebanese hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. razzam@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Raghida A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Azzam
authors.forename: Nohad N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Hamadé
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors