Five days of postoperative antimicrobial therapy decreases infectious complications following pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients at risk for bile contamination.

Objectives: Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is associated with high morbidity, in part as a result of infectious complications increased by preoperative bile contamination. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect on the incidence of infectious complications of short-term antimicrobial therapy (AMT) in high-risk patients.

Methods: Patients with a high risk for positive intraoperative bile culture (i.