Prophylactic antibiotics for penetrating abdominal trauma
There is no evidence from randomised controlled trials on the benefits and harms for the use of antibiotics for abdominal trauma. Due to the lack of randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of antibiotics for abdominal injuries, future research should focus on designing a randomised controlled trial to assess the relative effectiveness.
The use of antibiotics for penetrating abdominal trauma is based on expert opinion rather than evidence from randomised controlled trials. Studies with 33% to 57% infection rate with intra-operative antibiotic administration and 30% to 70% infection rate with only post-operative antibiotic administration have been reported. The aim of the review was to assess the effectiveness (benefits and harms) of prophylactic antibiotics for penetrating abdominal injuries.
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