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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses
11:17

Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses

Published on: August 30, 2018

Concurrent review of the duration of antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery

P D O'Melia, W N Jones

    Hospital Pharmacy
    |April 9, 1989
    PubMed

    Insights

    Extending surgical antibiotic prophylaxis beyond 48 hours does not reduce infection rates. This study found many patients received longer durations unnecessarily, highlighting potential cost savings by optimizing antibiotic use and duration.

    Area of Science:

    • Surgical Prophylaxis
    • Antimicrobial Stewardship
    • Health Economics

    Background:

    • Prophylactic antibiotics are crucial in surgery.
    • Current data indicate no benefit in extending prophylaxis beyond 48 hours for reducing postoperative infections.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To evaluate the duration of prophylactic antibiotic use in surgical patients.
    • To identify opportunities for optimizing antibiotic administration and reducing healthcare costs.

    Main Methods:

    • Prospective monitoring of 95 surgical patients over 3 weeks.
    • Analysis of antibiotic administration duration and associated costs.
    • Assessment for clinical or microbiological evidence of infection.

    Main Results:

    • 84.2% of patients received antimicrobial therapy.
    • 28.75% of treated patients had durations exceeding 2 days without infection evidence.
    • Unnecessary extended prophylaxis resulted in significant cost increases (+1,364.58 over 3 weeks).

    Conclusions:

    • Optimizing prophylactic antibiotic duration can lead to substantial cost reductions (estimated +23,600 annually).
    • Pharmacists play a key role in implementing duration guidelines for cost containment.
    • Adherence to evidence-based prophylaxis durations is essential for efficient antimicrobial stewardship.

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