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Review
. 2023 Jun 19;15(6):e40631.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.40631. eCollection 2023 Jun.

The Duration of Postoperative Antibiotics in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ameer Aldarragi  1 , Nima Farah  2 , Christian M Warner  3   4 , Ali M Ghasemi  5 , Oghenetega T Ekakitie  6 , Yamen Jabr  7 , Shafiq Rahman  8
Affiliations
Review

The Duration of Postoperative Antibiotics in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ameer Aldarragi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Although prophylactic antibiotic use following autologous breast reconstruction post-mastectomy is a common practice, there is no consensus in the literature regarding its duration. Antibiotic stewardship is important to minimise multi-resistant organisms as well as mitigate the associated side effects. Currently, there are no published guidelines regarding the duration of prophylactic antibiotics in autologous breast reconstruction surgery following mastectomy. The authors searched the online literature regarding the administration of antibiotics for autologous breast reconstruction surgery post-mastectomy. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were followed. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs). Three studies met the inclusion criteria and included a total of 1,400 patients. Overall, 101 (7.2%) SSIs were observed. There was no significant difference in the rate of SSIs when comparing the use of antibiotics for less than or longer than 24 hours postoperatively (odds ratio = 1.434, p = 0.124). There is no significant difference between SSIs with the use of antibiotics for longer than 24 hours when compared to less than 24 hours. Further studies in the form of randomised controlled trials are required to assess the effects of prophylactic antibiotic duration in autologous breast reconstruction following mastectomy.

Keywords: autologous breast reconstruction; oncoplastic breast surgery; perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis; reconstructive breast surgery; surgical site infection (ssi).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart for article screening and selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Forest plot for postoperative antibiotic duration on the incidence of SSIs in autologous breast reconstruction following mastectomy.
No significant difference between the two groups is observed (OR = 1.434, CI = 0.906, 2.269, p = 0.124). SSI = surgical site infection; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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