There is little information on prophylactic antibiotic practice in pediatric cardiovascular surgery. A consensus prophylactic antibiotic practice, if identified, might serve as a standard to which alternative prophylactic antibiotic practice could be compared. We surveyed North American academic centers with pediatric cardiovascular surgery programs regarding their standard antimicrobial prophylaxis regimens, duration of prophylaxis and modification of prophylaxis for lesion, patient age or medical device considerations. Forty-three (81%) of 53 centers responded; not all responses were complete. Monotherapy was used by 39 (91%) of 43; 38 (97%) of 39 used a 1st or 2nd generation cephalosporin (cefazolin 24, cefamandole 8, cefuroxime 4, cephapirin 1, unspecified 1) and 1 of 39 used vancomycin. Only 4 (9%) of 43 used 2 antibiotics. Prophylactic antibiotics were started pre- or intraoperatively by 41 of 43 centers and discontinued within 2 days by 25 of 37. Prophylactic antibiotics were often continued while thoracostomy tubes (29 of 43), mediastinal tubes (31 of 43) or transthoracic vascular catheters (22 of 43) were in place, but usually not for endotracheal tubes (6 of 43), arterial (9 of 43) or percutaneous central venous (13 of 43) catheters or temporary pacing wires (6 of 43). Our survey indicates that the consensus prophylactic antibiotic regimen for pediatric cardiovascular surgery is monotherapy with a first or second generation cephalosporin, used for < or = 2 days or until transthoracic medical devices are removed.