Infection complications after pancreatic surgery are highly morbid, many facilities administer postoperative antibiotics to all patients. However, local customs influence how antibiotic regimens are prescribed. In order to more clearly characterize the clinical indications for this situation, the goals of this study were to describe the incidence of surgical site infection and prescription following pancreatic surgery as well as to identify the risk factors for these infections. Patients were saved from receiving unneeded antibiotic treatment as a result of non-routine after major pancreatic surgery. This raises the possibility that normal
prescriptions might be excessive, but additional research is required to validate such antibiotic management. The presence of a biliary prosthesis does not appear to be a meaningful clinical indicator for individual-based prescription, although fever does.
