Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Reduction Mammaplasty: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSI) are a concern in breast reduction procedures.
• Existing data on antibiotic prophylaxis effectiveness is varied.
• This study addresses the need for optimized antibiotic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a network meta-analysis evaluating antibiotic regimens for preventing SSI and delayed wound healing (DWH) in breast reduction.
• To identify the most effective antibiotic prophylaxis strategy.

Main Methods:

• Network meta-analysis of 10 studies (1331 patients) identified through comprehensive database searches.
• Included studies compared antibiotic prophylaxis to control in female breast reduction patients.
• Cochrane risk of bias tool assessed study quality; frequentist and random effects models analyzed SSI and DWH rates.

Main Results:

• Antibiotic administration significantly decreased SSI rates post-breast reduction.
• Prolonged antibiotic regimens demonstrated the highest efficacy (OR: 0.36 [95%CI: 0.15-0.85]).
• No significant reduction in delayed wound healing (DWH) was found across different antibiotic regimens.

Conclusions:

• Antibiotics are effective in reducing SSI following breast reduction surgery.
• This meta-analysis offers an evidence-based approach to optimize antibiotic use.
• Further research is recommended to investigate antibiotic prophylaxis's role in preventing DWH.