The role of Ayurveda management in preventing surgical site infections instead of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis

It is probably for the first time in the history of modern surgery that Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) surgery which belongs to 'clean contaminated' class and requires at least 3 doses of prophylactic antibiotic as per recommendations by American Urology Association, was done without the use of any as the patient had a history of severe intolerance to them. The case was an 83 year old male patient presenting with acute urinary retention. He was a known case of BPH being managed continuously on Ayurvedic therapy for many years. It was a challenge to conduct the inevitable surgery without any antibiotic prophylaxis. Holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HOLEP) was done with Ayurvedic medicine support only without the use of any antibiotic. The post-operative recovery was uneventful. The long term recovery was unusually faster and remarkable. In view of rising antibiotic resistance and World Health Organisation (WHO) declaration of arrival of post-antibiotic era, the successful outcome of this case could open new channels of research into Ayurveda, to find out the solution to the worst ever antibiotic crisis of the present time.