A Prospective Comparative Study of Single Dose Prophylactic Antibiotic Versus Empirical Post-Operative Antibiotics in Prevention of Ssi

Abstract

BACKGROUND The use of antibiotic prophylaxis for clean surgical procedure, such as inguinal hernia surgery is controversial. In modern surgical care, antibiotics are known to account for about 20% of total expenses during hospitalisation. In our country where the proportion of health budget to GDP is one of the lowest in the world, the amount of savings that can be obtained by reducing our over reliance on antibiotics will be enormous. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study includes 50 clean cases randomised to groups of 25 each. The study group will receive a single dose of antibiotic preoperatively, while the control group will receive 3 to 5 days of empirical antibiotic therapy. RESULTS In my study, the incidence of SSI was 0.5% in the control group and 0.75% in the study group which is not statistically significant as evidenced by the p value of 0.6 which is not significant. The incidence of SSI is comparable to the occurrence in other studies of similar nature. CONCLUSION Based on my study, I would like to recommend single dose antibiotic prophylaxis using appropriate antibiotics for all Class I and Class II cases. As per the study results, there is no significant difference in incidence of SSI when compared to the traditional regimes with the added advantage of significant reduction in hospital stay with its resultant savings in resources.