Benefit of a Single Preoperative Dose of Antibiotics for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

Summary

In a rural hospital in Tanzania the rate of surgical site infections (SSI) was 21.6%. Inappropriate choice of antibiotics and of administration time were determined as sole risk factors in this setting. After implementation of a standardized procedure with a single shot dose of Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid approximately 30 min. preoperatively the rate of SSI dropped by 80% in spite of procedural risk factors like poor hygiene etc.

Timeline

Start

2004-12

Primary completion

2005-03

Completion

2005-03

Publications

• Results Saxer F, Widmer A, Fehr J, Soka I, Kibatala P, Urassa H, Frei R, Smith T, Hatz C. Benefit of a single preoperative dose of antibiotics in a sub-saharan district hospital: minimal input, massive impact. Ann Surg. 2009 Feb;249(2):322-6. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e31819782fd.

Drugs

Indications