2015 COA Annual Meeting: The Effect of Prolonged Post-operative Antibiotic Administration on the Rate of Infection in Patients Undergoing Posterior Spine Surgery Requiring a Hemovac Drain

450 patients undergoing posterior spinal surgery with a Hemovac drain were randomized to receive either 24 or 72 hours of antibiotics postoperatively. The purpose of the study was to determine whether prolonged (i.e. 72 hours) administration of antibiotics reduced the incidence of superficial and deep infection in patients. The study found that while the incidence of superficial infection was significantly lower in the 72 hour group, the incidence of deep infection remained similar to that in the 24 hour group.