A Prospective Study Comparing Single with Multiple Antibiotic Prophylaxis Dose in Elective Cholecystectomy

Background: Cholecystectomy is one of the commonest, clean and contaminated surgery operations performed by the surgeons worldwide. Antibiotic prophylaxis in elective cholecystectomy is a controversial issue and our study was undertaken to evaluate the rate of infection and the usefulness and efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in elective cholecystectomies. Methods: The study comprised of 100 patients admitted for elective cholecystectomy. The first fifty patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy were given the prophylactic antibiotic outside the operation theater in the wards and the next fifty patients were given a single dose of injection cefuroxime (1.5 gm i.v). Results: In single dose antibiotic prophylaxis group 10.52% people developed surgical site infection in open cholecystectomy group while patients developed infection in laparoscopic cholecystectomy group but in multiple dose group 16.21% patients who underwent open cholecystectomy developed a surgical site infection while 10% developed an SSI in laparoscopic cholecystectomy group. In both the groups, results are statistically not significant. Conclusion: This study document that one single dose of prophylactic antibiotic, administered at induction of anaesthesia, is sufficient to prevent post-operative infective complications in patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy.