The Use of Preoperative Antibiotics in Elective Soft-Tissue Procedures in the Hand

» The use of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis is not supported for elective cases of patients undergoing soft-tissue hand procedures that are ≤2 hours in length. » The use of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis is not supported for patients with diabetes undergoing elective, soft-tissue hand surgical procedures. » There is a paucity of literature evaluating the use of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, those with cardiac valves, and those taking corticosteroids; because of this, there is no evidence to vary from our general recommendations.