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Premedication

Pharmacology · NLM MeSH · updated 2026-10-29 · version 1

Citations verified against PubMedNot yet clinician-reviewed10 referencesApproximately 5 min read

Preliminary administration of a drug preceding a diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedure.

Table of Contents

1. Definition2. Research landscape3. Reading the evidence4. Open-access studies5. Key reviews6. References7. About this article

Definition and research guide

This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.

Content available: 4 complete abstracts (1,026 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.

Definition

Preliminary administration of a drug preceding a diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedure. The commonest types of premedication are antibiotics (antibiotic prophylaxis) and anti-anxiety agents. It does not include preanesthetic medication.

Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.

Also known as: Premedications.

Where it fits in the MeSH classification

Broader topics
Drug Therapy
Narrower topics
Antibiotic Prophylaxis
See also
Preanesthetic Medication; Antibiotic Prophylaxis

Related concepts

  • Antibiotic Prophylaxis
  • Preanesthetic Medication

Research landscape

PubMed indexes 29,972 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Premedication” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 3,620 of them (12.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 12,066 records.

Reviews account for 5,041 records (16.8%) and meta-analyses for 747. Randomized controlled trials number 4,085 (13.6%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up a comparatively large share of this literature, which means many treatment questions have been tested directly.

PubMed records by publication periodthrough 1999: 12,066 records; 2000-2009: 6,597 records; 2010-2019: 7,689 records; 2020 onward: 3,620 records12,066through 19996,5972000-20097,6892010-20193,6202020 onward
Records in PubMed indexed with this heading, by publication period. Real counts from NCBI E-utilities; the final period covers only part of the current year. Volume reflects how much has been published, not how strong the evidence is.
Show the data
PeriodRecords
through 199912,066
2000-20096,597
2010-20197,689
2020 onward3,620
Share of records by publication typeReviews: 16.8 percent; Meta-analyses: 2.5 percent; Randomized controlled trials: 13.6 percentReviews16.8% (5,041)Meta-analyses2.5% (747)Randomized controlled trials13.6% (4,085)
Share of all PubMed records on this heading that carry each publication type. Types overlap with other records, so the shares do not sum to 100%.
Publication-type chart data
Publication types among 29,972 PubMed records
TypeRecordsShare
Reviews5,04116.8%
Meta-analyses7472.5%
Randomized controlled trials4,08513.6%

Method: PubMed query "Premedication"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.

Reading the evidence in pharmacology

Drug evidence builds in layers: laboratory pharmacology describes how a compound acts, pharmacokinetic studies describe how the body handles it, and randomized trials test whether it helps and what harms it causes. Post-marketing surveillance and observational studies reveal rarer adverse effects but cannot prove causation. This page is educational and is not a recommendation to start, stop or change any medicine; decisions about treatment belong with a qualified clinician.

Evidence from open-access studies

These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.

Study comparison — selected abstracts, not a systematic review
Study / authorsYearSource label / designEurope PMC citationsLicence / source
Antibiotic prophylaxis in stone surgery: a systematic review of the literature
Gavi F, Ragonese M, Fettucciari D, Sighinolfi MC, Sighinolfi MC, Turri F, et al.
2025Systematic review
Design not recorded in structured metadata
19cc by
PMID 40029456 · DOI · PMC11876188
Is routine antibiotic prophylaxis warranted in dental implant surgery to prevent early implant failure? - a systematic review
Momand P, Naimi-Akbar A, Hultin M, Lund B, Götrick B
2024Meta-analysis
Design not recorded in structured metadata
13cc by
PMID 39054434 · DOI · PMC11270919
Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis Duration in Patients Undergoing Cystectomy With Urinary Diversion: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Thurnheer MC, Schürmann A, Huber M, Marschall J, Wuethrich PY, Burkhard FC
2024Randomized controlled trial
Design not recorded in structured metadata
11cc by
PMID 39422911 · DOI · PMC11581670
European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Therapy (ENOVAT) 2025 guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in dogs and cats
Allerton F, Sørensen TM, Scahill K, Ruperez JE, Swinbourne F, Verwilghen DR, et al.
2026Research article
Design not recorded in structured metadata
4cc by
PMID 41431404 · DOI · PMC13136061

Antibiotic prophylaxis in stone surgery: a systematic review of the literature [1]

Systematic review Gavi F, Ragonese M, Fettucciari D, Sighinolfi MC, Sighinolfi MC, Turri F, et al. · · 2025 · cited 19 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
PurposeEndoscopic lithotripsy has become widely adopted worldwide and is considered the gold standard for managing upper urinary tract lithiasis.
Closing excerpt
percutaneous nephrolithotripsy, for those patients with positive preoperative urine cultures it is beneficial reducing the risk of postoperative infective complications.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (161 words)

PurposeEndoscopic lithotripsy has become widely adopted worldwide and is considered the gold standard for managing upper urinary tract lithiasis. One of its possible complications is post-operative infection. We aimed to review available literature about the role of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis and its indications.MethodsWe performed a systematic search of the literature including "ureteroscopy", "PNL", "retrograde intrarenal surgery", "antibiotic prophylaxis" and "sepsis" as keywords. Out of 760 relevant studies only 13 met our inclusion criteria: at least 10 adult patients (≥ 18 years old) diagnosed with kidney or ureteral stones; antibiotic prophylaxis described and reported; post-operative sepsis, UTI or SIRS assessed.ConclusionsAntibiotic prophylaxis strategies for stone surgery show different degrees of effectiveness depending on both the approach and the patient's condition. Today's evidence suggests that while routine antibiotic prophylaxis might not be necessary for all patients with sterile urine undergoing ureterorenoscopy and lithotripsy vs. percutaneous nephrolithotripsy, for those patients with positive preoperative urine cultures it is beneficial reducing the risk of postoperative infective complications.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40029456 · DOI · PMC11876188

Is routine antibiotic prophylaxis warranted in dental implant surgery to prevent early implant failure? - a systematic review [2]

Meta-analysis Momand P, Naimi-Akbar A, Hultin M, Lund B, Götrick B · · 2024 · cited 13 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
BackgroundThe question of whether antibiotic prophylaxis should be administered routinely for dental implant surgery is unresolved.
Closing excerpt
The results do not support routine antibiotic prophylaxis for dental implant surgery.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (293 words)

BackgroundThe question of whether antibiotic prophylaxis should be administered routinely for dental implant surgery is unresolved. Despite the lack of conclusive supportive evidence, antibiotics are often administered to reduce the risk of infection, which could lead to early implant failure. Increasing antibiotic resistance is a major concern and it is therefore important to reduce the overall use of antibiotics, including in dentistry. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative antibiotics in preventing early implant failure, in overall healthy patients undergoing dental implant surgery.MethodsAn electronic search was undertaken of PubMed (Medline), Web of Science and the Cochrane Library up to October 1st, 2023, to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs). All RCTs comparing antibiotic prophylaxis with no antibiotics/placebo in overall healthy patients receiving dental implants were included. The primary outcome was patients with early implant failure. Risk of bias was assessed, data were extracted, a meta-analysis was done, and GRADE certainty-of-evidence ratings were determined. The risk ratio (RR), the risk difference (RD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated.ResultsAfter removal of duplicates, 1086 abstracts were screened, and 17 articles were reviewed in full text. Seven RCTs with moderate or low risk of bias and with a total of 1859 patients and 3014 implants were included in the meta-analysis. With reference to early implant failure at patient level, the meta-analysis failed to disclose any statistically significant difference (RR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.30-1.47) between antibiotic prophylaxis and a placebo. The risk difference was -0.007 (95% CI: -0.035-0.020) leading to a number needed to treat (NNT) of 143.ConclusionAntibiotic prophylaxis for dental implant surgery does not seem to have any substantial effect on early implant failure ( ). The results do not support routine antibiotic prophylaxis for dental implant surgery.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 39054434 · DOI · PMC11270919

Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis Duration in Patients Undergoing Cystectomy With Urinary Diversion: A Randomized Clinical Trial [3]

Randomized controlled trial Thurnheer MC, Schürmann A, Huber M, Marschall J, Wuethrich PY, Burkhard FC · · 2024 · cited 11 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
ImportancePerioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) reduces the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs).
Closing excerpt
gov Identifier: NCT03305627.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (351 words)

ImportancePerioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) reduces the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs). Guidelines recommend 24 hours or less of PAP for cystectomy with urinary diversion; however, evidence specifying optimal PAP duration for this surgery is lacking, and prolonged administration of PAP is common practice.ObjectiveTo establish noninferiority of 24-hour PAP vs extended-duration PAP in preventing SSIs within 90 days after cystectomy with urinary diversion.Design, setting, and participantsThis single-center, noninferiority randomized clinical trial was performed from April 18, 2018, to August 18, 2022, in patients aged older than 18 years undergoing elective open cystectomy with urinary diversion. Exclusion criteria were contraindications to administered drugs and inability to follow study procedures.InterventionPAP administered for 24 hours (24-hour PAP group) vs PAP until all catheters and stents were removed (extended PAP group).Main outcome and measuresThe primary end point was the rate of SSI, and the secondary end points included all-cause mortality, both within 90 days after surgery. Noninferiority of the 24-hour PAP treatment was assessed by comparing the 90% CI (corresponding to a significance level of α = .05) with the predefined noninferiority margin of 10%.ResultsA total of 95 patients were randomly assigned to the 24-hour PAP group (median [IQR] age, 69.3 [63.1-76.8] years; 66 males [69.5%]) and 98 to the extended PAP group (median [IQR] age, 69.5 [60.8-75.5] years; 68 males [69.4%]). Patients in the 24-hour PAP group received PAP for a median of 1 day (IQR, 1-1 day), and patients in the extended PAP group received PAP for a median of 8 days (IQR, 7-10 days). No significant differences in SSIs occurring within 90 days were found (24-hour PAP group, 8 patients [8.4%]; extended PAP group, 12 patients [12.2%]; P = .53). The risk difference for 90-day cumulative SSI incidence was -3.8% (90% CI, -11.1% to 3.4%), establishing noninferiority of 24-hour PAP vs extended PAP to prevent SSI. Mortality was not significantly different between groups.Conclusions and relevanceThe findings of this randomized clinical trial demonstrate noninferiority of 24-hour PAP vs extended-duration PAP in preventing SSIs within 90 days after cystectomy with urinary diversion and may contribute to antibiotic stewardship efforts in urology.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03305627.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 39422911 · DOI · PMC11581670

European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Therapy (ENOVAT) 2025 guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in dogs and cats [4]

Research article Allerton F, Sørensen TM, Scahill K, Ruperez JE, Swinbourne F, Verwilghen DR, et al. · · 2026 · cited 4 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis involves the administration of antimicrobials to reduce the risk of a surgical site infection and represents a significant proportion of all antimicrobial use in cats and dogs.
Closing excerpt
The European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Therapy guidelines initiative encourages national or regional guideline makers to use the evidence presented in this document and the supporting systematic review to draft national or local guidance documents that support rational surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (221 words)

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis involves the administration of antimicrobials to reduce the risk of a surgical site infection and represents a significant proportion of all antimicrobial use in cats and dogs. This evidence-based, European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Therapy guideline provides recommendations for both peri- and post-operative surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis for a wide range of soft tissue and orthopaedic procedures performed in dogs and cats. A multidisciplinary panel developed the recommendations while adhering to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. The opinions of veterinary practitioners were incorporated to ensure applicability. Ten strong recommendations against, three conditional recommendations against and five conditional recommendations for the use of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis were drafted by the panel. Strong recommendations against surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis were often informed by low- to very low-certainty evidence that treatment has no beneficial effect. However, the anticipated harmful effects of antimicrobial use are well established and offer an important counterbalance to unsubstantiated use. Conditional recommendations were made when there was a probable balance of effects in one direction, although appreciable uncertainty was present. The European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Therapy guidelines initiative encourages national or regional guideline makers to use the evidence presented in this document and the supporting systematic review to draft national or local guidance documents that support rational surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41431404 · DOI · PMC13136061

Key reviews and meta-analyses

The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.

  • Research article Meta-analysis: antibiotic prophylaxis reduces mortality in neutropenic patients [5]
    Gafter-Gvili A, Fraser A, Paul M, Leibovici L · Ann Intern Med · 2005 · cited 305 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article The use of vancomycin powder in modern spine surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical evidence [6]
    Bakhsheshian J, Dahdaleh NS, Lam SK, Savage JW, Smith ZA · World Neurosurg · 2015 · cited 177 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Antibiotic prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis for preventing infection after cesarean section [7]
    Smaill FM, Grivell RM · Cochrane Database Syst Rev · 2014 · cited 174 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Effectiveness of a bundled intervention of decolonization and prophylaxis to decrease Gram positive surgical site infections after cardiac or orthopedic surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
    Schweizer M, Perencevich E, McDanel J, Carson J, Formanek M, Hafner J, et al. · BMJ · 2013 · cited 161 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce respiratory tract infections and mortality in adults receiving intensive care [9]
    Liberati A, D'Amico R, Pifferi S, Torri V, Brazzi L, Parmelli E · Cochrane Database Syst Rev · 2009 · cited 118 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Prophylactic antibiotic administration reduces sepsis and mortality in acute necrotizing pancreatitis: a meta-analysis [10]
    Sharma VK, Howden CW · Pancreas · 2001 · cited 113 times (Europe PMC)

References

  1. Gavi F, Ragonese M, Fettucciari D, Sighinolfi MC, Sighinolfi MC, Turri F, et al.. Antibiotic prophylaxis in stone surgery: a systematic review of the literature. . 2025. PMID 40029456 · DOI · PMC11876188
  2. Momand P, Naimi-Akbar A, Hultin M, Lund B, Götrick B. Is routine antibiotic prophylaxis warranted in dental implant surgery to prevent early implant failure? - a systematic review. . 2024. PMID 39054434 · DOI · PMC11270919
  3. Thurnheer MC, Schürmann A, Huber M, Marschall J, Wuethrich PY, Burkhard FC. Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis Duration in Patients Undergoing Cystectomy With Urinary Diversion: A Randomized Clinical Trial. . 2024. PMID 39422911 · DOI · PMC11581670
  4. Allerton F, Sørensen TM, Scahill K, Ruperez JE, Swinbourne F, Verwilghen DR, et al.. European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Therapy (ENOVAT) 2025 guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in dogs and cats. . 2026. PMID 41431404 · DOI · PMC13136061
  5. Gafter-Gvili A, Fraser A, Paul M, Leibovici L. Meta-analysis: antibiotic prophylaxis reduces mortality in neutropenic patients. Ann Intern Med. 2005. PMID 15968013 · DOI
  6. Bakhsheshian J, Dahdaleh NS, Lam SK, Savage JW, Smith ZA. The use of vancomycin powder in modern spine surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical evidence. World Neurosurg. 2015. PMID 25535069 · DOI
  7. Smaill FM, Grivell RM. Antibiotic prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis for preventing infection after cesarean section. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014. PMID 25350672 · DOI · PMC8078551
  8. Schweizer M, Perencevich E, McDanel J, Carson J, Formanek M, Hafner J, et al.. Effectiveness of a bundled intervention of decolonization and prophylaxis to decrease Gram positive surgical site infections after cardiac or orthopedic surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2013. PMID 23766464 · DOI · PMC3681273
  9. Liberati A, D'Amico R, Pifferi S, Torri V, Brazzi L, Parmelli E. Antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce respiratory tract infections and mortality in adults receiving intensive care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009. PMID 19821262 · DOI · PMC7061255
  10. Sharma VK, Howden CW. Prophylactic antibiotic administration reduces sepsis and mortality in acute necrotizing pancreatitis: a meta-analysis. Pancreas. 2001. PMID 11138967 · DOI

About this article

Sources
NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
Verification
Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
Review state
automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
Version
1, last updated 2026-10-29.

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Related research topics

  • Antibiotic ProphylaxisPharmacology
  • Medication ReconciliationPharmacology
  • Self MedicationPharmacology
  • Medication ErrorsPharmacology
  • Antipsychotic AgentsPharmacology
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All 99 articles in Pharmacology →

At a glance

29,972
PubMed records on this heading
12%
published since 2020
5,041
review articles
4,085
randomized trials
10
verified references below

Counts come from PubMed on 2026-10-29; they show how much has been written, not how strong the evidence is.

Related topics See all →

  • Antibiotic ProphylaxisPharmacology
  • Medication ReconciliationPharmacology
  • Self MedicationPharmacology
  • Medication ErrorsPharmacology
  • Antipsychotic AgentsPharmacology

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