Prevention of early-onset pneumonia in surgical patients by chemoprophylaxis

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to explore the impact of surgical antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis on the prevention of early-onset postsurgical pneumonia (EOPP) using a logistic regression model that included the principal risk or confusion factors associated with incidence of early-onset postsurgical pneumonia.Materials and MethodsThe sample chosen corresponded to 13 years during which the epidemiological surveillance system was in place in the general and digestive surgery department (N = 13,024 patients) and was designed as a prospective cohort study. Risk factors associated with EOPP development were analyzed using a cohort-nested case-control study.ResultsCumulative incidence of EOPP in this series of patients was .6%, accounting for 24.7% of total nosocomial pneumonias. The multivariate model showed the following risks or confusion factors for EOPP: age, emergency admission, type of surgery, duration of surgical intervention, infection on admission, and antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis (administered, odds ratio = .18; 95% confidence interval, .09–.33).ConclusionsSurgical antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis was associated as an independent factor with incidence reduction of early-onset postsurgical pneumonia, and, aside from its known effect on surgical site infection, its administration, where indicated, is useful for the prevention of early-onset postsurgical pneumonia.