The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 31, 211-213, Copyright © 1981 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Prophylactic antibiotics in pediatrics cardiovascular surgery: current practices
H Faden
A survey of 23 pediatric cardiovascular surgery programs demonstrated
uniform use of prophylactic antibiotics for open-heart operations. Only 65%
of the programs used prophylaxis for repair of patent ductus arteriosus.
Cephalosporins were the most frequently used antibiotics, but
aminoglycosides in combination with penicillins were used in approximately
25% of the operations. Antibiotics were most often started prior to
operation (89.7%) and continued for less than five days. These data
demonstrate that the use of prophylaxis in pediatric cardiovascular
operations conforms to current guidelines.