Role of minimal antibiotic therapy and routine long term post-operative therapy in elective surgery: an evaluation

Background: Antibacterial drugs are powerful agents to prevent infections but excess use of antibiotics led to increase of resistance towards the antibiotics used and thus has risen the expense in medical support.Methods: A total of 250 patients were included in the study. The patients were divided randomly into 2 groups, each containing 125 patients. Group I patients received. Three dosage of injectable ceftriaxone 1 gram intravenous peri-operatively, first dose twelve hour before surgery and second dose half hour before surgical incision and third dose twelve hours after surgery. Group II patients were given injectable ceftriaxone 1 gram intravenous peri-operatively, first dose twelve hour before surgery and second dose half hour before surgical incision and then followed by injection (conventional dose) ceftriaxone 1 gram/day I.V twice daily for the first 5-7 days post-operatively. Using Southampton wound grading system. The wound was inspected on the 3rd, 5th and 7th postoperative day days post operatively.Results: In group I, 15 (12%) cases had grade 2 SSI and in group II, 11 (8.8%) cases had grade 2 SSI. There was no statistical significance: p value is 0.83 and c2 0.048.Conclusions: A minimal dose antibiotic prophylaxis is equally efficient and has added advantage of reducing the duration of hospital stay and cost of medicines for the patients. Hence minimal dose antibiotic is better than a routine long term antibiotics therapy.