Current Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis Practices: A Survey of Orthopaedic Surgeons in India

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) has become the standard of care in orthopaedic surgery. Inappropriate usage of antibiotics (dosage, strength, and/or administration time and duration) can inadvertently result in superadded infections and antimicrobial resistance. The purpose of this study was to document and analyse the prescription patterns for SAP, and to investigate the factors associated with divergence from standard guidelines.

We conducted an online cross-sectional questionnaire-based study to collect information about the SAP practices of the members of the Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) using Google forms. A link to the questionnaire was sent by e-mails.

The overall response rate was 5.73%. While 97.3% respondents practised SAP routinely, the practice was not aligned with standard guidelines' recommendations. There was heterogeneity in the use of SAP in terms of choice of antibiotic(s), number of co-prescribed drugs, single- versus multiple-dose regimens, and the duration of therapy. The prescription practice patterns showed that orthopaedic surgeons almost always used broad-spectrum antibiotics for long durations, regardless of the type of surgery.

While Orthopaedic surgeons in India are practicing SAP, the pattern of antibiotic usage is heterogeneous. Variations were noted in the choice of antibiotics for different types of surgeries, time of administration, duration of usage in the postoperative period as well as co-prescriptions. This study highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive, rational, and robust national SAP policy for orthopaedic surgeries.