Antibiotic irrigations. A plea for controlled clinical trials

Area of Science:

• Surgical Infection Prophylaxis
• Antimicrobial Therapy

Background:

• Perioperative antibiotic irrigation is documented in surgical literature for abdominal, pelvic, orthopedic, and vascular procedures.
• Current evidence supporting its routine use is limited by study design quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current evidence for perioperative antibiotic irrigation.
• To determine the need for further clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing medical literature on antibiotic irrigation in surgery.
• Analysis of the quality of controlled clinical studies.

Main Results:

• A significant lack of well-designed, controlled clinical studies evaluating antibiotic irrigation.
• Inconclusive evidence regarding the definitive value of this surgical technique.

Conclusions:

• High-quality randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials are necessary to establish the merit of perioperative antibiotic irrigation.
• Antibiotic solution lavage is not currently considered conventional medical therapy due to insufficient evidence and cost considerations.