Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery: an observational prospective study conducted in a large teaching hospital in Naples.

This was a 9-month observational prospective study conducted in two steps to evaluate surgical prophylaxis procedures used by surgeons in several departments of the Second University of Naples (SUN). In step 1 (4 months), we collected and analyzed data on surgical interventions and antibiotic prophylaxis. Surgeons were informed of the analysis outcome and were given an antibiotic prophylaxis protocol based on international guidelines. In step 2 (5 months), we collected data on surgical interventions and antibiotic prophylaxis, and compared them with step 1 data. The analysis of 354 forms (step 1) showed that third-generation cephalosporins were the preferred prophylactic antibiotics. The analysis of 369 forms (step 2) showed that ceftriaxone and ampicillin were the most frequently used antibiotics. Surgeons did not comply with guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis as regards type of antibiotic and treatment duration but implementation of antibiotic prophylaxis protocols resulted in more appropriate and better timing of antibiotic prophylaxis.