Abstract
BackgroundPost-operative infections in pediatric cardiac surgery are an ongoing clinical challenge, with rates between 1 and 20%. Perioperative antibiotics remain the standard for prevention of surgical-site infections, but the type of antibiotic and duration of administration remain poorly defined. Current levels of practice variation through informal surveys are very high. Rates of antibiotic-resistant organisms are increasing steadily around the world.Methods/designWe will identify all controlled observational studies and randomized controlled trials examining prophylactic antibiotic use in pediatric cardiac surgery. Data sources will include MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and proceedings from recent relevant scientific meetings. For each included study, we will conduct duplicate independent data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and evaluation of quality of evidence using the GRADE approach.DiscussionWe will report the results of this review in agreement with the PRISMA statement and disseminate our findings at relevant critical care and cardiology conferences and through publication in peer-reviewed journals. We will use this systematic review to inform clinical guidelines, which will be disseminated in a separate stand-alone publication.Study registration numberPROSPERO CRD42016052978C
Highlights
Post-operative infections in pediatric cardiac surgery are an ongoing clinical challenge, with rates between 1 and 20%
We will report the results of this review in agreement with the PRISMA statement and disseminate our findings at relevant critical care and cardiology conferences and through publication in peer-reviewed journals
We will use this systematic review to inform clinical guidelines, which will be disseminated in a separate stand-alone publication
Summary
Post-operative infections in pediatric cardiac surgery are an ongoing clinical challenge, with rates between 1 and 20%. Rates of antibiotic-resistant organisms are increasing steadily around the world. Description of the problem Post-operative infections in pediatric cardiac surgery remain an ongoing clinical challenge. There are many factors that contribute to increased risk of infection, including overall acuity, age, delayed sternal closure, steroid use, and length-of-stay in ICU [5,6,7,8]. Antibiotic use in the perioperative period are wellestablished adjuncts to reducing the incidence of infection [10]; the nature, timing, and duration of administration remain undetermined. In the context of increasing attention to antimicrobial resistance predicated upon the overuse of antibiotics, addressing this issue is timely [11]
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