The literature on antibiotic prophylaxis for traumatic wounds is usually poor and tends to be left to EM physician gestalt or subspecialty preference. In the case of someone without access to subspecialist consultation in a young, healthy patient, understanding the literature may help us decrease our antibiotic prescribing and become better antibiotic stewards. Here, we review some common clinical conditions in which the ED physician may feel comfortable giving or not giving antibiotics using an evidence-based approach.

Jose Reyes, MD