JAMA Netw Open

Antibiotic guideline lapses tied to higher surgical site infection rates

February 20, 2026

A cross‑sectional study of 119,236 noncardiac surgeries found that 26.1% of cases missed at least one Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) antibiotic metric, most commonly antibiotic choice (13.3%) and weight‑adjusted dosing (9.0%). Surgical site infections (SSIs) occurred in 4.4% of cases, and any guideline‑nonadherent administration increased SSI risk by 34%. Nonadherence to antibiotic choice (relative risk [RR], 1.43) and missed intraoperative redosing (RR, 1.12) were significantly associated with higher SSI rates.

Clinical takeaway: Ensure full compliance with IDSA perioperative antibiotic recommendations—particularly drug selection, weight‑based dosing, and appropriate redosing—to help reduce preventable SSIs in noncardiac surgery.

Source:

Bardia A, et al. (2026, February 18). JAMA Netw Open. Guideline Adherence of Perioperative Antibiotics and Surgical Site Infections in Noncardiac Surgery. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41706452/