Differences in practices for surgical site infection prevention in neonatal surgery between neonatologists and pediatric surgeons: a multicenter survey in Japan

To assess the current surgical site infection prevention practices in neonatal surgery, especially focusing on the factors that determine the duration of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) and the differences between pediatric surgeons and neonatologists. We performed a questionnaire survey, which targeted neonatologists, pediatric surgeons, and infectious disease specialists at pediatric hospitals or university hospitals in Japan. Responses were obtained from 32 hospitals. Some practices, such as criteria for discontinuing PAP, intraoperative re-administration of PAP, and preoperative decontamination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , were different between neonatologists and pediatric surgeons. Regarding criteria for discontinuing PAP, pediatric surgeons tended to select “fixed duration”, while neonatologists more often relied on “C-reactive protein levels.” PAP discontinuation practices in neonatal surgery reflect distinct time-based and biomarker-guided decision-making approaches between pediatric surgeons and neonatologists, indicating the need for clearer evidence and consensus. More standardized, evidence-based approaches are required.