ABSTRACT
The prophylactic use of antimicrobial agents to reduce the postoperative infection is widely practiced1. The objective of preoperative antibioticprophylaxis is to prevent postoperative infections. Rational use of antibiotic is extremely important as injudicious use can adversely affect the patient, cause emergence of antibiotic resistance and increase the cost of health care2,3.Antibiotic resistance has become a global menace, and WHO in 2012 had given a clear call to reduce the antibiotic use and prevent resistance to antibiotics4. Several evidences have shown that strict aseptic technique alone could decrease but not eliminate the contamination of the surgical field completely. Therefore, the need for antibiotics to complement aseptic technique is now being widely recognized and accepted5.In spite of wide knowledge about the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis, administrative regimens are often inappropriately practiced. Main concern is the duration of prophylaxis, which is often longer than recommended6,7. Antibiotic prophylaxis is a preventive method in which antimicrobial agents are used prophylactically to combat the infectious complications in a therapeutic procedure. In conventional practice, antimicrobials are used for a predetermined period after therapeutic procedure to combat the infection8.