Efficacy of Prophylactic Antibiotics in Arthroscopic Surgery

A prospective, randomized, double-blind study of 437 patients undergoing arthroscopic diagnostic and operative procedures found that no deep infections occurred in any patient and only one superficial infection occurred in a patient who did not receive prophylactic antibiotics. One patient had a mild allergic reaction to the antibiotic that resolved after treatment with Benadryl. These results suggest that the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics is not indicated for patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery and that the slight risk of infection is outweighed by the cost of the antibiotics and the slight risk of allergic reaction.