Antibiotic prophylaxis in otolaryngologic surgery

The Efficacy of Perioperative Antibiotic Therapy in Tonsillectomy Patients

“…They found that the frequency of infections was considerably lower with preoperative administration of the antibiotic. In contrast, administration of the antibiotic three hours post-surgery was associated with a similar number of infections as in the untreated controls [3]. This was confirmed by Bedwell et al in their bacteriological examination of resected tonsils, which revealed reduced bacterial counts in the tonsil core from patients who had been treated with clarithromycin prior to surgery [35].…”

“…The frequency of infections associated with laryngological procedures within a primarily contaminated field ranges from 24% to 87% of cases [24]. According to the guidelines of the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists, prophylactic administration of an antibiotic is recommended in such cases; the agent should show activity against most common pathogens, and should be given in appropriate doses for the shortest possible time [3]. The validity of this recommendation was confirmed by…”

“…Obeso et al analyzed the use of antibiotics during laryngological surgery, and found that the microflora isolated from patients undergoing oral surgery with antibiotic prophylaxis contains predominantly Gram-positive bacteria, with lower participation of Gram-negative and aerobic organisms; in contrast, non-aerobic bacteria predominate within the isolates from patients who do not receive antibiotics, reaching up to 42% of all isolated bacteria [3]. However, the authors postulated that the counts of non-aerobic bacteria may be underestimated as well, since the process of isolating them is more complex than in the case of aerobes.…”

“…However, the authors postulated that the counts of non-aerobic bacteria may be underestimated as well, since the process of isolating them is more complex than in the case of aerobes. Furthermore, Obeso et al [3] used an animal experimental model to study the effects of the route and time of antibiotic administration and the duration of the therapy on postoperative healing. They found that the frequency of infections was considerably lower with preoperative administration of the antibiotic.…”

“…However, such beneficial effects of antibiotic therapy during the healing process were not confirmed by further studies and meta-analyses [3,6]. Antibiotic therapy was shown not to be associated with any additional benefits in cases of adequately performed surgery following an aseptic regimen [16][17][18][19][20].…”