Proper use of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of surgical site infections: Pre-operative timing and duration of prophylaxis

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is an infection that occurs at or near a surgical incision within 30 days of surgery or within 1 year if an implant is left in place. They are the most common nosocomial infections in surgical patients, accounting for approximately 500,000 infections annually. The cost of care for patients with SSIs is nearly three-fold higher than that for surgical patients without the infections. Aim and Objective: The main objectives for conducting current study are to know incidence of SSI, to check proper use of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis and prepare data for health-care improvement. Materials and Methods: The study was observational, prospective in nature and conducted after getting institutional ethical clearance. All post-operative patients in surgical wards that fulfill the inclusion criteria were included in the study over the period of 2 months. Data were collected in questionnaire Google forms by both direct interview and referring indoor files. Result: Total 198 patients were included and evaluated. Total six patients were not given any antibiotic. Incidence of SSI was 7.57% in total 198 patients. Most of the cases were from general surgery, followed by orthopedic, gynecology, and obstetrics. Total 124 patients were given antibiotics for