A new study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, co-authored by MSQC Associate Director Greta Krapohl, found that Colectomy patients receiving β-lactam antibiotics had a lower likelihood of SSI compared with those receiving non-β-lactam antibiotics, even when antibiotics were compliant with national recommendations.

The findings suggest that surgeons should prescribe β-lactam antibiotics for prophylaxis whenever possible, reserving alternatives for those rare patients with true allergies or clinical indications for non-β-lactam antibiotic prophylaxis.

β-Lactam vs Non-β-Lactam Antibiotics and Surgical Site Infection in Colectomy Patients Kuriakose, Jonathan P. et al. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Volume 229, Issue 5, 487 – 496.e2