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Review
. 2024 Apr 4;13(4):329.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13040329.

Antibiotic Stewardship in Surgical Departments

Irene Kourbeti  1 , Aikaterini Kamiliou  1 , Michael Samarkos  1
Affiliations
Review

Antibiotic Stewardship in Surgical Departments

Irene Kourbeti et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the leading public health threats of the 21st century. New evidence underscores its significance in patients' morbidity and mortality, length of stay, as well as healthcare costs. Globally, the factors that contribute to antimicrobial resistance include social and economic determinants, healthcare governance, and environmental interactions with impact on humans, plants, and animals. Antimicrobial stewardship (AS) programs have historically overlooked surgical teams as they considered them more difficult to engage. This review aims to summarize the evolution and significance of AS in surgical wards, including the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) and the role of diagnostic stewardship (DS). The contribution of AS team members is presented. The new diagnostic modalities and the new technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) are also reviewed.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; antimicrobial stewardship; biomarkers; diagnostic stewardship; surgical antibiotic prophylaxis; surgical site infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Reasons that lead to improper use of antibiotics in surgical wards.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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