Prophylactic Antibiotics in Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery: Current Practices

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.