Risk Factors for Surgical-Site Infections After Liver Transplant: Does Perioperative Antibiotic Regimen Matter?

Abstract

Background. Surgical-site infections (SSIs) are common in liver transplant recipients. The optimal SSI antimicrobial prophylaxis agent and duration are not established. We aimed to explore risk factors for SSIs after transplant, with a particular interest in the impact of perioperative antibiotic regimen on the development of SSIs. Methods. Retrospective study of adults undergoing liver transplant across 3 transplant programs between January 1, 2020, and June 01, 2021. Results. Of 557 patients included in the study, 32 (5.7%) were infected or colonized with a multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) within 1 y before liver transplant. Narrow-spectrum SSI prophylaxis with ceftriaxone or cefazolin alone was administered in 488 of 577 patients (87.6%); the remaining 69 patients (12.4%) received broad-spectrum prophylaxis with vancomycin and aztreonam (n = 40), piperacillin–tazobactam (n = 11), carbapenems (n = 8), ceftriaxone and another antibiotic (n = 7), and others. Patients with pretransplant MDRO were more likely to receive broad-spectrum coverage than those without pretransplant MDROs (28.1% versus 11.4%, P = 0.005). SSIs were identified in 40 patients (7.2%); 25 (62.5%) were organ–space infections, 3 (7.5%) were deep incisional infections, and 12 (30.0%) were superficial incisional infections. The median time from liver transplant to SSIs was 14 d (interquartile range, 10–20.2). MDROs were identified in 12 SSIs (30%). Multivariable analysis revealed no significant association between antimicrobial spectrum and risk of SSIs (P = 0.5), whereas surgical leak (P<0.001) and reoperation (P = 0.017) were independently associated with increased risk of SSIs. SSIs were not significantly associated with composite risk of death or liver allograft failure. Conclusions. The spectrum of antimicrobial prophylaxis did not impact the development of SSIs in liver transplant recipients.

Low rate of surgical site infections after liver transplantation: A 5‐year retrospective cohort study

“…Thus, the higher risk of SSI in these patients is not unexpected. 26 Similar to other studies, we found an increased risk of SSI with posttransplant procedures 9,16 and longer operative times as has been, 4,27,28 which likely reflects increased opportunity for wound contamination, increased inflammation, and delayed healing. There may be some variability in surgical techniques that can potentially influence the rate of SSI.…”

“…In this retrospective cohort study of SSI in LT recipients under a protocol of routine amoxycillin/clavulanic acid prophylaxis, the overall SSI rate was 8%, which is among the lowest rates reported in the literature from other countries. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Risk factors associated with SSI were Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, longer operation time, and reoperation posttransplant.…”