Is Antibiotic Prophylaxis Reasonable in Parotid Surgery? Retrospective Analysis of Surgical Site Infection

The prophylactic use of antibiotics in parotid region surgery continues to be a subject of debate. The aim of this study is to elucidate the impact of antibiotic prophylaxis on surgical site infections (SSIs) in parotid region surgery. Patients who received antibiotic prophylaxis during the peri-operative period were designated as group 1, whereas those who did not were categorized into group 2. Group 1 cases were further subdivided into three subgroups based on different antibiotic usage patterns. Patient individual information was collected. Clinical data such as surgical duration, post-operative hospital stay, incision infection status, and antibiotic usage were recorded. All data were compared and analyzed among different groups. A total of 357 patients were included in the study, with no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics. Pre-operative American Society of Anesthesiologists scores did not significantly differ between groups (p = 0.151), but there was a significant distinction in National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (NNIS) index values (p = 0.044). Furthermore, surgical duration (p = 0.001) and pathology types (p = 0.016) differed significantly. The post-operative hospital stay in group 1 was longer than that in group 2 (p < 0.01). The post-operative SSI rate in group 1 was lower than that in group 2 without statistical significance (2.55% vs. 5.59%, p = 0.141). The logistic regression analysis showed that malignant tumors, longer surgical durations, and higher NNIS index scores correlated positively with post-operative SSI rates. Meanwhile, compared with non-use, all three different antibiotic use modes correlated negatively with SSI occurrence. Antibiotic prophylaxis in parotid gland surgery shows no significant reduction in SSI occurrence. If there is a compelling reason to administer prophylactic antibiotics, pre-operative single dose may be a relatively feasible measure for preventing SSIs.