Sir, as an average GDP I would be grateful for some guidance. I was recently told by a surgical consultant that the position of my local PCT was that ABC should be provided for all patients during the first two years post joint replacement and also for those with drug/radiation induced immunosuppresion and conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus.

The doses suggested are also confusing in that they expected 2 g of amoxicillin one hour pre-op. These are apparently derived from the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. However this contradicts both the recent advice in the BDJ and in the latest BNF. Whose guidance should I follow so I do not leave myself out to dry in a medico-legal sense?