Surgical Site Infections and Perioperative Antibiotic Use in Children with Medical Complexity
hosted by Dr. Lizzie Lee
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
More about surgical site infections
same diagnosisWhat the experts said
Children with medical complexity face a much higher risk of surgical site infections than other patients.
The answer to preventing SSI in medically complex children is not simply giving them more antibiotics.
Standardized infection prevention practices include preoperative bathing, proper skin cleaning, screening certain patients for MRSA, and careful wound care.
The standard antibiotics used before surgery (like cefazolin) are usually enough, even for medically complex children.
One opportunity to improve care is making sure children who are not truly allergic to beta-lactam antibiotics can still receive the most effective medication.
Preventing surgical site infections takes a team of nurses, surgeons, and specialists.