Effect of prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis on the occurrence of surgical site wound infection after instant breast reconstruction: A meta-analysis

Abstract

The purpose of the meta-analysis was to evaluate and compare the effects of prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis on the occurrence of surgical site wound infection after instant breast reconstruction. The results of this meta-analysis were analysed, and the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using dichotomous or contentious random- or fixed-effect models. For the current meta-analysis, 18 examinations spanning from 2009 to 2023 were included, encompassing 19 301 females with instant breast reconstruction. Systemic antibiotic prophylaxis had a significantly lower surgical site wound infection rate (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75–0.98, p = 0.02) compared with the standard of care after instant breast reconstruction in females. Topical antibiotic prophylaxis had a significantly lower surgical site wound infection rate (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.13–0.52, p < 0.001) compared with the standard of care after instant breast reconstruction in females. The examined data revealed that systemic and topical antibiotic prophylaxis had a significantly lower surgical site wound infection rate compared with the standard of care after instant breast reconstruction in females. However, given that several examinations had a small sample size, consideration should be given to their values.