AN ANALYTICAL STUDY ON THE ROLE OF ANTIBIOTIC PROPHYLAXIS IN SURGERY: BASED ON REGULAR SURGERIES UNDERTAKEN IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL

Background: The use of prophylactic antibiotics can significantly lower the likelihood of postoperative wound infections. Well-structured studies have shown that administering the correct prophylactic antibiotics in surgical procedures can reduce infection rates by approximately half compared to patients who do not receive these antibiotics. Aims and Objectives: To assess the discretion of the Surgeons over the Hospital’s antibiotic policy in evaluating and selecting the preoperative antibiotics as a prophylactic measure by the surgeons. Methods: A prospective observational study was undertaken to analyse the decision of the surgeons on the selection of the prophylactic antibiotics and the timing of their administration in patients undergoing surgery. The outcome of preoperative antibiotics in the postoperative period in terms of wound infections, wound healing, Hospital stay and final outcomes. The collected data were compared with the hospital’s established antibiotic protocol and other studies to determine how closely surgeons adhered to the guidelines. Results: 01/32 (02.77%) of the patients of the group who received antibiotics preoperatively was infected, 02/36 (05.88%) of the patients of the group which received antibiotics in 01 to 30 minutes were infected, 02/20 (10.52%) of the patients of the group who received antibiotics between 30 and 60 minutes were infected and 01/07 (14.28%) of the patients of the group which received antibiotics after 60 minutes was infected. There was significant statistical significance between the groups as well as the timing of the antibiotic administered. (p value was 0.001; with p significant at <0.05). Conclusions: The study concludes that prophylactic antibiotics play a critical role in significantly reducing the incidence of postoperative wound infections. The findings support that following the ASHP guidelines leads to effective prevention of SSIs, demonstrating a rational and evidence-based approach to antibiotic use.