Do we need routine antibiotics for hand surgery?

Wormald, Justin; Totty, Josh

Abstract

Both the incidence of hand trauma, and the demand for elective hand surgery, continue to rise in the UK. The incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) following hand surgery is around 5%. Traditionally, antibiotic prophylaxis at the time of surgery has been used to reduce the risk of SSI, however with growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic overuse, there is a need to examine whether routine antibiotics are truly necessary for all surgery in the hand. In this session, we present the current guidelines and evidence base for the use of antibiotics in hand surgery, and discuss how we might change practice in the future.

Citation

Wormald, J., & Totty, J. (2022, October). Do we need routine antibiotics for hand surgery?. Paper presented at British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) Autumn Scientific Meeting 2022, Winchester, UK

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) Autumn Scientific Meeting 2022
• Start Date: Oct 12, 2022
• End Date: Oct 14, 2022
• Deposit Date: Oct 18, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 29, 2024
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4085770
• Publisher URL: https://www.bssh.ac.uk/professionals/old_meeting_programmes.aspx