Selective antibiotic prophylaxis in biliary tract operations.

A prospective study of 397 patients with primary biliary operations performed for benign disease included a perioperative culture of the bile. Two main groups of patients in whom bacteria in the bile and, thus, probably increased risk postoperative infection was common, are patients undergoing emergency operation (60 per cent bacteria in the bile, as compared with 22 per cent in those with elective operations) and patients with a history of acute cholecystitis or pancreatitis, or both, or jaundice (49 per cent bacteria in the bile with a positive history as compared with 11 per cent without). The rate of infection was 2.8 per cent in high-risk groups, as compared with 0.6 per cent in patients undergoing elective operative procedures with no history of acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis or jaundice. Thus, antibiotics can probably be reserved for those patients who had emergency surgical treatment and for those with elective operations and a history of acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis or jaundice. In addition, antibiotic prophylaxis might be indicated for all patients who are 75 years of age or older, as bacteria in the bile seems to be common in this age group even without a history of the aforementioned complications.