Concurrent review of the duration of antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery.

The administration of prophylactic antibiotics in surgery is appropriate for many patients. Data have shown extending the duration of prophylaxis beyond 48 hours does not lower the rate of postoperative-infection. The purpose of this project was to concurrently assess the duration of prophylactic antibiotic use. A total of 95 patients were monitored over 3 weeks. Eighty patients (84.2%) received antimicrobial therapy. In 23 of these patients (28.75%) the duration of antibiotic administration was longer than 2 days without clinical or microbiological evidence of infection. In 5 other patients only postoperative antibiotics were prescribed. The cost difference between the actual duration of antibiotic administration and 2 days of the same regimen was +1,364.58. Extrapolating for one year, it can be estimated that antibiotic costs could be reduced about +23,600. Pharmacists can focus on the duration of antibiotic prophylaxis as a cost containment measure.