Adherence to Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis in the Field of Vascular Surgery

Background: Insufficient surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) can lead to prolonged hospitalization, hospital re-admissions, increased morbidity and mortality, and higher healthcare costs. Overdoing prophylaxis can result in antimicrobial resistance, Clostridium difficile infections, and acute kidney failure. Patients and Methods: To investigate the adherence to local SAP guidelines for vascular surgery, a retrospective observational single center intervention study was performed in a Dutch hospital. Results: Antibiotic choice, dose, interval, timing, and duration were adherent to the guidelines in 96%, 97%, 96%, 85%, and 41% of the surgeries, respectively. Adherence to all five aspects was achieved in only 37% of all procedures. Conclusions: Further interventions are necessary to improve specific parameters such as duration and timing.