Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery (author's transl)

Post-operative infections are of course due to bacterial contamination, but also to local conditions favourable to bacterial growth, and to lowering of host defences. Antibiotic prophylaxis is indicated in "clean-contamined" surgery, in surgery on immunodepressed patient and in bone prosthesis. The risk is mainly ecological. Antibiotics are useless when administered after the first post-operative day. The results of well-conducted controlled studies demonstrating, for instance, the value of metronidazole in surgery of the large bowel and appendix are reported.