What rising antibiotic shortages mean for routine surgery and how hospitals are coping
In the past year I've spent more time than I expected talking to surgeons, pharmacists and infection-control nurses about something most patients never think about until the moment it matters: the availability of antibiotics. Shortages of key antibiotics — from first-line prophylactics used in routine clean surgeries to broad-spectrum agents for complicated infections — are quietly changing how hospitals schedule operations, choose drugs and...