Abstract
In actual surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis, the anaesthetist administers the drugs at induction of anaesthesia. In the first phase of our quality‐of‐use intervention study on antimicrobial drugs in a large university hospital, information on the practice of antimicrobial prophylaxis was needed. The staff of 44 anaesthetists was interviewed by means of a questionnaire. Response rate was 36/44 (82%). The anaesthetists' method of administering surgical prophylaxis was rather uniform and inexpensive: cephalosporins were almost exclusively administered by bolus method. The main reason was that infusion was more cumbersome (range 77‐85%). Communication between surgeon and anaesthetist was reported to be poor, and in two out of three operating departments, orders of prophylaxis transmitted at or after induction accounted for more than 80%. Seventy‐seven percent of the responders asked the surgeon if prophylaxis was necessary if they were in doubt; 20% responded that they checked it systematically. The data collected by the inquiry proved useful in the process of optimizing surgical prophylaxis in our hospital.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hekster YA, Barrett CW. Formulary antibiotic surveillance program. J Pharm Clin 1987;6:335‐42.
Classen DC, Evans RS, Pestotnik SL, Horn SD, Menlove RL, Burke JP. The timing of prophylactic administration of antibiotics and the risk of surgical‐wound infection. N Engl J Med 1992;326:281‐6.
Abramowicz M. Antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery. Med Letter 1989;31(806):105‐8.
Gyssens IC, Geerligs IEJ, Nannini‐Bergman MG, Knape JTA, Hekster YA, Van der Meer JWM. Optimising the timing of antimicrobial drug prophylaxis in surgery: an intervention study. J Antimicrob Chemother 1996;38:301‐8.
Gyssens IC, Geerligs IEJ, Dony JMJ, Van der Vliet JA, Van Kampen A, Van den Broek PJ, Hekster YA, Van der Meer JWM. Optimising the quality of antimicrobial drug use in surgery: an intervention study. J Antimicrob Chemother 1996, in press.
Gyssens IC, Lennards CA, Hekster YA, Van der Meer JWM. The cost of antimicrobial chemotherapy. A method for cost evaluation. Pharm Weekbl [Sci] 1991;13(6):248‐53.
Mendelson J, Portnoy J, Dick V, Black M. Safety of the bolus administration of gentamicin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1976; 9:633‐8.
Gilbert DN. Once‐daily aminoglycoside therapy. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1991;35:399‐405.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gyssens, I., Knape, J., Van Hal, G. et al. The anaesthetist as determinant factor of quality of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis. A survey in a university hospital.. Pharm World Sci 19, 89–92 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008691007436
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008691007436