Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in a Turkish university hospital

A prospective study was performed to assess the practice of antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical procedures in Pamukkale University Hospital, Denizli, Turkey. All surgical procedures performed between April 1 and July 31, 2001, were included. During the study period 897 operations were reviewed. 96% of all procedures were elective, 4% emergencies. Approximately 70.7% were clean surgery, 25.3% clean-contaminated, 2.8% contaminated, and 1.2% dirty. 98% of patients (879) received antibiotic prophylaxis. Although timing of prophylaxis was appropriate in all procedures, the duration of prophylaxis was optimal in only 47.7% of all cases. Sulbactam/ampicillin (SAM), cefazolin and cefepime were the most commonly used antibiotics during the study period. The results of our study suggest that the choice of prophylactic antimicrobial agent was inappropriate in most cases. In conclusion, we think that compliance regarding the optimal choice, frequency, and duration of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis is not adequate in our hospital, and that more education on the subject is necessary.