Table 5.

Empirical antibiotic treatment of wound infection in systematically unwell patient^*

Type of wound	Antibiotic
Wound infection	Co-amoxiclav
Surgical wound infection	Cefuroxime and metronidazole or co-amoxiclav
Bite wound	Co-amoxiclav
Diabetic ulcer	Co-amoxiclav and ciprofloxacin
Osteomyelitis	Co-amoxiclav or ciprofloxacin and clindamycin
Necrotising fasciitis	High dose benzylpenicillin plus clindamycin (with or without ciprofloxacin)
MRSA infection suspected	Vancomycin or linezolid

^*Rough guide only. In general, treatment should be guided by discussion with the local microbiology department. Choice of antibiotics will depend on previous microbiology where available, previous antibiotic treatment, site of surgery, and the local prevalence of MRSA.