RESUMO
To compare single dose with multiple dose antibiotic prophylaxis with Cefuroxime in open cholecystectomy in terms of post operative surgical site infection, hospital stay and cost effectiveness. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. The study was conducted in the Surgical Unit of Punjab Employees Social Security Institution Islamabad and Ahmed Hospital Rawalpindi Teaching Hospitals of IMDC Islamabad, from 1st August 2010 to 30th September 2011. A total of one hundred and ten patients requiring elective open cholecystectomy were included. Patients with acute cholecystitis, jaundice, diabetes, malignancy, choledocholithiasis and co morbidity were excluded. Patients were divided in to two groups, 55 patients in each group, Group A received only single dose of Cefuroxime and Group B received multiple doses [six]. In this study, 97 [88%] patients were females and 13 [12%] were males. The mean age was 40.69 years. In Group A, 4 [5.5%] patients, and in Group B, 7 [12.7%] patients developed surgical site infection. Mean hospital stay in Group A was 2.18 days and in Group B 2.43 days. Cost of antibiotics in Group A was six times less than Group B. There is no difference in single dose and multiple doses prophylaxis with Cefuroxime in low risk patients for elective open cholecystectomy in terms of post operative surgical site infection and hospital stay however single dose is more cost effective