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.