Preoperative Antibiotics: Preventing Surgical Site Infections

Antibiotics are given before elective surgery on specific body parts and for high-risk patients because surgery compromises normal anatomical barriers to bacteria, creating an environment conducive to surgical site infections (SSIs).

The primary goal of preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis is to reduce bacterial load in the surgical wound, lowering SSI risk from pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Preoperative antibiotics can decrease both incidence and severity of infections during the vulnerable postoperative healing period.