Antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis: Still an issue in paediatrics

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Clinical Practice Guidelines

Background:

• Antimicrobial prophylaxis (AP) is crucial for preventing surgical site infections (SSIs).
• Evaluating AP practices in pediatric surgery is essential for optimizing patient outcomes.
• Adherence to established surgical prophylaxis guidelines remains a challenge in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis (AP) in pediatric surgical patients.
• To evaluate the compliance of AP practices with established surgical prophylaxis guidelines.
• To identify factors influencing the appropriate administration of AP in pediatric surgery.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study was conducted involving pediatric surgical patients.
• Perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis administration and duration were evaluated.
• Compliance with surgical prophylaxis guidelines was assessed.

Main Results:

• 92.7% of 466 pediatric patients received antimicrobial prophylaxis.
• Overall adherence to surgical prophylaxis guidelines was only 22.1%.
• AP administration was lower for clean procedures and higher for longer procedures. Postoperative AP duration exceeded recommendations in 72.2% of cases, with errors increasing with longer surgical times.

Conclusions:

• Significant misapplication of antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis was observed in pediatric practice.
• Enhanced awareness and utilization of surgical prophylaxis guidelines are necessary.
• Further research and education on pediatric surgical prophylaxis are recommended to improve clinical practice.