To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Preoperative Antibiotics Prevent Postsurgical Infection in Children URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/225FFA.htm Doctor's Guide July 18, 2008
BALTIMORE, Md -- July 18, 2008 -- Giving children preventive antibiotics within 1 hour before they undergo spinal surgery greatly reduces the risk for serious infections after the surgery, according to a study in the August issue of Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. Children who received antibiotics outside of the 1-hour window were 3.5 times more likely to develop serious infections at the surgery site, according to lead researcher Aaron Milstone, MD, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues. They also pointed out that something as simple as ensuring that a child gets timely prophylaxis can prevent serious complications and reduce the length of hospital stay. "When it comes to preventing infections, when a child gets antibiotics appears to be one of the most critical yet most easily modifiable risk factors and may matter just as much as the type and dosage of the medication," said Dr. Milstone. While preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis is standard in adults, there are no standard guidelines on how to administer antibiotics in children undergoing surgery. Reviewing nearly 1,000 spinal fusion surgeries performed in children over a 6-year period at Johns Hopkins, investigators found 36 deep surgical-site infections. More serious than superficial skin infections, deep-site infections can cause serious complications and require aggressive treatment, including additional surgeries and long-term antibiotics. Of the 36 cases, 28% received medication outside the 1-hour window, either more than an hour before incision or after the surgery began. Other factors affecting infection risk included underlying medical conditions and previous spinal surgeries, researchers found. Even though spinal fusion surgeries are complex procedures and thus carry higher risk for deep-site infections, the findings are likely relevant to many types of surgical procedures, because timing is always critical when administering antibiotics, either as treatment or prevention, the authors wrote. SOURCE: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.