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Tetanus Prophylaxis

Tetanus prophylaxis needs to be considered in all patients presenting with wounds of any type.

Antimicrobial

For patients with:

  • At least 3 doses of tetanus toxoid vaccine AND
  • Last vaccine was given within 5 years

No prophylaxis required

For patients with:

  • Unknown vaccination status OR
  • Less than 3 doses of vaccine OR
  • Last vaccine over 5 years ago

Give Tetanus toxoid vaccine

For patients who present with anything other than a minor, clean wound AND with:

  • Unknown vaccination status OR
  • Less than 3 doses of vaccine

Give tetanus immunoglobulin 250 IU if <24 hours since injury, 500 IU if >24 hours since injury (if this is available), IN ADDITION to tetanus toxoid vaccine.

Comments and Duration of Therapy

For treatment see Tetanus in Special Infections.

Rheumatic Fever secondary prevention

Continuous antimicrobial prophylaxis against Streptococcus pyogenes is recommended for patients with Rheumatic Fever.

Antimicrobial 

Benzathine Penicillin 1.2 million IU (900mg) (child <20kg 0.6 million IU (450mg)) IM for 1 dose every 28 days.

In patients with severe RHD PLUS severe pulmonary hypertension or uncontrolled heart failure use:

Penicillin V 250mg (child 15mg/kg) PO BID

OR

Amoxicillin 500mg for >20kg, 250mg <250mg PO OD

Alternative:

Erythromycin 250mg PO BID

(Oral therapy can also be used in patients where IM therapy is not possible, however this is not the preferred route).

Comments and Duration of Therapy

See also Timor-Leste Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) 2021

Duration:

No cardiac valve involvement: Treat for a minimum of 5 years or until age 21 (whichever is longer).

Mild cardiac valve involvement: Treat for a minimum of 10 years or until age 25 (whichever is longer).

Moderate cardiac valve involvement: Treat for a minimum of 10 years or until age 40 (whichever is longer).

Severe cardiac valve involvement: Continue prophylaxis for life.

See Pharyngitis / Tonsilitis in ENT/Respiratory Infections for treatment of Streptoccocus pyogenes sore throat (primary prevention of ARF).

Infective Endocarditis prophylaxis

Antibiotic prophylaxis is only recommended for patients with the following:

  • A cardiac condition which places them at high risk. AND
  • Undergoing a high-risk procedure.

Antimicrobial 

When infective endocarditis prophylaxis is indicated, it should be given in addition to usual recommended surgical prophylaxis.

For dental procedures:

Amoxicillin 2g (child 50mg/kg) PO, 1 hour before procedure.

For other procedures:

Ampicillin 2g (child 50mg/kg) IV within the 60 minutes prior to procedure.

Alternative:

Cefazolin 2 g (child 30mg/kg) IV

OR

Clindamycin 600mg (child 20mg/kg) IV

OR

Vancomycin 15mg/kg

Comments and Duration of Therapy 

High risk procedures include:

  • Dental procedures involving manipulation of gingival or periapical tissue, or perforation of the oral mucosa (e.g. Extraction, implant placement, biopsy, removal of soft tissue or bone, subgingival scaling, and root planing, replanting avulsed teeth)
  • Skin and musculoskeletal procedures involving infected skin, skin structures or musculoskeletal tissue.
  • Respiratory tract and ENT procedures tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy; invasive respiratory tract or ENT procedures to treat an established infection (e.g. abscess drainage)
  • GIT and GUT procedures if usual surgical prophylaxis is indicated for patients with an established infection.

High risk cardiac conditions include:

  • Rheumatic heart disease
  • Prosthetic heart valve or other prosthetic cardiac material
  • Previous infective endocarditis

Unrepaired cyanotic congenital heart disease

See Cardiovascular Infections for treatment of infective endocarditis

Cirrhosis, antibiotic prophylaxis

Patients with cirrhosis have an increased susceptibility to infection due to disease-related immune-dysfunction.

Antimicrobial

Variceal bleeding:

Ceftriaxone 1g IV OD

Alternative:

Ciprofloxacin 400mg PO BID

Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (after first episode of SBP):

Cotrimoxazole 160/800mg PO OD

Comments and Duration of Therapy 

Duration:

Variceal bleeding: Treat for 3-7 days
Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis: Continue lifelong if tolerated.

See Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in Gastrointestinal infections for treatment.

Post-splenectomy prophylaxis

In addition to antibiotics, all patients should also receive immunisations (if available) against the encapsulated organisms Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae B.

Antimicrobial 

Amoxicillin 250mg (child: 15mg/kg) PO OD

All patients should have an emergency supply of antibiotics to begin taking immediately at home when they become unwell with fever, and be reviewed as soon as possible by a doctor.

In the event of a sudden onset of unexplained fever use:

Adult:

Amoxicillin 3g PO for 1 dose then 1g TID until review.

Child:

Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid 25/6.25 mg/kg (max 500/125mg) PO TID until review.

Comments and Duration of Therapy 

Duration:

Children with congenital haemoglobinopathies (e.g. thalassaemia) should remain on prophylaxis at least until the age of 5.
Post splenectomy patients should receive prophylaxis for at least 3 years. Consider lifelong prophylaxis in the following:

  • Immunocompromised patients
  • Patients with haematological malignancy

Patients who have experienced significant post-splenectomy infection (particularly with Streptococcus pneumoniae).

Febrile Neutropaenia prophylaxis

Antimicrobial prophylaxis is recommended for patients who have, or are expected to have, severe neutropaenia (Neutrophils <0.5 X109/L) for 7 days or more.

Antimicrobial 

Ciprofloxacin 500mg (child 10mg/kg) PO BID

PLUS

Fluconazole 200 mg (child 6-12mg/kg) PO OD

Comments and Duration of Therapy 

Duration:

Continue for duration of expected neutropaenia.

Pneumocystis jirovecii (PJP) prophylaxis

See Timor-Leste Comprehensive ART Guidelines

Antimicrobial

Indications in Timor-Leste:

  • 20mg prednisone (or equivalent corticosteroid) for more than 4 weeks
  • Acute lymphocytic leukaemia
  • HIV with CD4 count <350 cells/microlitre or CD4 percentage <14%.

Co-trimoxazole 160 / 800mg (child 3-5kg 20/100mg, 6-13kg 40/200mg, 14-30kg 80/400mg) PO OD daily or BID three times a week

Comments and Duration of Therapy 

Duration:

Corticosteroids: Continue for 6 weeks after steroid dose is reduced below 20mg of prednisone (or equivalent), then cease.
HIV: Stop when on ART AND CD4 count >350 cells/microlitre for 6 months.

See Pneumocystis jirovecii (PJP) in Special Infections for treatment.

 

Toxoplasma gondii prophylaxis in patients with HIV

See Timor-Leste Comprehensive ART Guidelines

Antimicrobial

Start when CD4 count is <100 cells/microlitre.

Co-trimoxazole 160 / 800mg (child 3-5kg 20/100mg, 6-13kg 40/200mg, 14-30kg 80/400mg) PO OD daily or BID three times a week

Comments and Duration of Therapy

Duration:

Stop when on ART with suppressed viral load AND CD4 count >200 cells/microlitre for 3 months.

See Toxoplasma gondii in Special Infections for treatment.

Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) Prophylaxis in patients with HIV

See Timor-Leste Comprehensive ART Guidelines

Antimicrobial

Prophylaxis is not routinely recommended in patients who start ART. Consider in patients who remain viraemic on ART AND have CD4 <50 cells/microlitre.

Azithromycin 1250mg (child 20mg/kg) PO once per week

Alternative:

Clarithromycin 500mg (7.5mg/kg) PO BID

Comments and Duration of Therapy

Rule out active infection before commencing prophylaxis in all patients, as monotherapy with a macrolide may result in the development of resistance.

Duration:

Stop when on ART with suppressed viral load AND CD4 count >100 cells/microlitre for 3 months

See Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC) in Special Infections for treatment.

References

ARF/RHD technical working group. Timor-Leste guidelines for the prevention and management of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Timor-Leste: Ministerio da Saude; 2021

Bratzler D, Dellinger E, Olsen K, Perl T, Auwaerter P, Bolon M, et al. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; Infectious Disease Society of America; Surgical Infection Society; Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Clinical practice guidelines for antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2013; 70 (3): 195-283. doi: 10.2146/ajhp120568

Bryson D, Morris D, Shivji F, Rolling s, Snape S. Antibiotic prophylaxis in orthopaedic surgery difficult decision in an era of evolving antibiotic resistance. Bone Joint J 2016; 98-B (8): 1014-1019. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.98B8.37359

Dhammi I, Haq R, Kumar S. Prophylactic antibiotics in orthopaedic surgery: controversial issues in its use. Indian J Orthop 2015; 49 (4):373-376. doi: 10.4103/0019-5413.159556

eTG complete. Prevention of infection. In: Therapeutic Guidelines [digital]. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited; 2019. http://www.tg.org.au Gusmao dos Santos C, Francis J, Guterres J, Janson S, Lopes N, Marr I, et al. HNGV Antibiotic guidelines writing group. Antibiotic guidelines Hospital Nacional Guideo Valadares. Timor-Leste; 2016

Habib G, Lancellotti P, Antunes MJ, Bongiorni MG, Casalta J-P, Del Zotti F, et al., ESC Scientific Document Group, 2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis: The Task Force for the Management of Infective Endocarditis of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Endorsed by: European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), Eur Heart J 2015; 36 (44): 3075–3128. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehv319

National HIV/AIDS programme Timor-Leste. Guidelines for antiretroviral therapy and management of opportunistic infections for children, adolescents and adults living with HIV. Timor-Leste: Ministerio da Saude; 2021

RHD Australia (ARF/RHD writing group). The 2020 Australian guideline for prevention diagnosis and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (3rd edition); 2020

Schmitt S. Osteomyelitis associated with open fractures in adults. In Spelman D, Hall K, editors. UpToDate [internet]. Waltham (MA): UpToDate Inc; 2021. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/osteomyelitis-associated-with-open-fractures-in-adults?search=prophylaxis%20for%20open%20fractures&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=2#H7

Taplitz R, Kennedy E, Bow E, Crews J, Gleason C, Hawley D, et al. Antimicrobial prophylaxis for adult patients with cancer-related immunosuppression: ASCO and IDSA clinical practice guideline update. J Clin Oncol 2018; 36 (30): 3043-3054. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.18.00374

The European Association for the Study of the Liver. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of patients with decompensated cirrhosis. J Hepatol 2018; 69 (2):406-460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2018.03.024

Vila P, Zenga J, Jackson R. Antibiotic prophylaxis in clean-contaminated head and neck surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2017; 157 (4):580-588. doi: 10.1177/0194599817712215