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Doctors urged to give women antibiotics before C-sections
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 30, 2010
Physicians should administer antibiotics to pregnant women before they have a cesarean delivery to help prevent infections, according to recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG recommends that doctors give women the medication within one hour of the surgery for maximum effectiveness.
Women who need an emergency cesarean should receive antibiotics as soon as possible, said the ACOG recommendations, issued Aug. 23. Pregnant women who already take appropriate antibiotics for another problem do not need additional antibiotics.
Infection is the most common complication of cesarean delivery and can occur in 10% to 40% of women, compared with 1% to 3% of women who deliver vaginally, ACOG said. New data show that prophylactic antibiotics before C-sections do not appear to harm newborns, according to ACOG (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/08/30/prbf0830.htm.
