Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Surgery

Abstract

IN discussing the impact of "antimicrobial technology" on our society, McDermott and Rogers noted that the greatest effect of modern antibiotic therapy may be its influence on the evolution of modern surgery.1 It would be difficult to imagine cardiac, vascular, or orthopedic surgery as we know it today in a world without antimicrobial agents.2 Because vital host defenses, including the skin, the cough reflex, and the mucous membranes, are impaired during major surgical procedures, such operations provide opportunities for exposure to potential pathogens.3 In this environment, antimicrobials play a central part in the treatment of both wound and nonwound infections. . . .