Combination Surgical Prophylaxis with Vancomycin versus Standard Prophylaxis for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections following Elective and Expedited Surgery

Single dose intravenous vancomycin (1.5g) administered immediately prior to commencement of surgery. The vancomycin will be administered by the anaesthetist.

In addition to vancomycin, all participants will receive standard surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis with intravenous cefazolin (2g). The dose, timing and frequency of cefazolin is in keeping with national guidelines (Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotics) as part of standard care.