Oral antibiotic preparation in colorectal surgery: is there more to debate?

The use of non-absorbable oral antibiotic preparation (OAB) in colorectal surgery was first proposed by Rosenberg and colleagues in 1971 (1), who in their randomised controlled trial (RCT) of combined mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) and one (phthalylsulphathiazole) or two oral antibiotics (phthalylsulphathiazole and neomycin) found a significant reduction in surgical site infection (SSI) and anastomotic leak rates in a population of patients undergoing large bowel surgery after combined OAB and MBP when compared with those who received MBP alone.