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When afluoroquinolone or vancomycin is the indicated antibiotic, administration should occur within 120 minutes before incision to avoid an adverse reaction associated with rapid infusion.6 Appropriate antibiotic selection is based on rec-ommended guidelines for procedures targeted for national surveillance.23 Although research demonstrates that many antibiotic regimens are effective preventive agents, the professional consensus supports using narrow-spectrum, first- and second generation cephalosporins, which are inexpensive, safe to use, and bactericidal, and have long half-lives.22 The Table summarizes SCIP guidelines for ap-propriate antibiotic selection.23HypothermiaMild hypothermia, a body temperature of 34°C to 36°C,is a common phenomenon during surgery. Contributing factors include low ambient temperatures in the surgi-cal suite, use of cold skin preparatory agents, exposed open wounds, cool fluid administration, and the anes-thetic effects on a patient’s ability to control and conserve heat.24,25 The body’s core temperature is controlled bythe hypothalamus, or the thermoregulation center of the brain. When a difference between core and skin tempera-ture is detected, the thermoregulation threshold triggers autonomic defense mechanisms to produce heat through vasoconstriction and shivering.26 Anesthetic inhalation agents, propofol, and opioids impair thermoregulatory control by decreasing heat production and increasing cu-taneous heat loss through vasodilation. Muscle relaxants also compromise thermoregulatory control by preventing shivering.25The deleterious effects of hypothermia are well doc-umented. Adverse outcomes of hypothermia include increased blood loss and transfusion requirements, prolonged postoperative recovery times, heightened postoperative pain, and impaired immune function.25 Hypothermia compromises neutrophil function and pro-motes vasoconstriction, which leads to tissue hypoxia and increased incidence of SSIs.27 Numerous studies have demonstrated the impact of hypothermia on SSIs. Kurz et al12 studied patients undergoing colorectal surgery who were randomly assigned to a hypothermic and a normothermic group. Rates of infection were 3 times higher in the hypothermic group.12 Patients in the hypothermic group had hospital stays nearly 1 week longer than did normothermic patients.12 In a 1999 meta-analysis, Mahoney and Odom24 reported a 64% increased rate of SSIs in hypothermic patients.