Antimicrobial prophylaxis for Surgical Site Infections in surgical wards in NorthWest Iran

Abstract

Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) are associated with a high morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. The prevention of SSIs is based on a combination of preoperative preparation, surgical techniques, Preoperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis (PAP) and postoperative wound care. The aim of this study was to determinate the current drug use patterns and measuring the improvement of practices on antimicrobial prophylactic usage in the surgical wards. The present cross-sectional study was conducted at referal Medical-Educational centers from northwest of Iran in a 24-months period since Feb 2009 to Feb 2011. A total of 328 hospitalized patients which were undergone different surgical procedures, were enrolled to the study. Antibiotics that were administrated in this study consisted of Cefazolin, Gentamicin, Ceftriaxone, Metronidazole, Vancomycin and Erythromycin. In overall, the most frequent antibiotics which were used in patients were as follows: Cefazolin in 296 cases (90%), gentamicin in 61 cases (18.5%), Ceftriaxone in 28 cases (8.5%). Comparisons of surveillance data in these referral medical-educational centers with international benchmarks provided useful information for infection control interventions to reduce the incidence of SSI.