Is 24 hours enough? Evaluating prophylactic antibiotic duration after abdominal wall closure in neonatal
Anna Zrinyi1, Anna Shawyer1, Richard Keijzer1
1Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Insights
Discontinuing prophylactic antibiotics 24 hours after gastroschisis closure did not increase infection risk. This finding supports current guidelines for uncomplicated cases, suggesting shorter antibiotic courses are safe and effective.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Neonatal Care
- Infectious Disease Prevention
Background:
- Current American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) guidelines recommend discontinuing prophylactic antibiotics 24 hours post-closure for gastroschisis patients managed with a silo.
- Evidence supporting this limited antibiotic course recommendation is scarce.
- This study evaluated infection rates based on antibiotic duration post-closure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if a short course (≤24 hours) of prophylactic antibiotics post-closure is associated with higher infection rates compared to longer courses in gastroschisis patients.
- To provide evidence to support or refute the current APSA recommendation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 53 neonates with gastroschisis managed with a silo (1991-2022).
- Patients were categorized into short-course (≤24 hours) and prolonged-course (>24 hours) antibiotic groups.
- Infection within 30 days of closure was the primary outcome, analyzed using logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Infection occurred in 57% of the short-course group (16/28) and 44% of the prolonged-course group (11/25).
- The adjusted odds ratio for infection with prolonged versus short-course antibiotics was 0.82 (95% CI=0.25-2.65, p=0.74).
- No statistically significant difference in infection rates was observed between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- Discontinuation of prophylactic antibiotics up to 24 hours after abdominal wall closure is not associated with an increased risk of infection in uncomplicated gastroschisis.
- Findings support the current APSA recommendation for discontinuing prophylactic antibiotics 24 hours post-closure.
- This supports a conservative approach to antibiotic use in gastroschisis management.
Background:
While the current American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) recommendation is to discontinue prophylactic antibiotics 24 h after abdominal wall closure in otherwise healthy gastroschisis patients managed with a silo, the evidence supporting this recommendation is limited. We aimed to determine if at our center the odds of infection in cases who received prophylactic antibiotics only up to 24 h after closure was greater than cases who received longer courses of antibiotics.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective review of neonates with gastroschisis managed with a silo at a tertiary care center from 1991 to 2022. Infants were included if they survived to closure. Excluded infants had ischemia, perforation, no documented prophylactic antibiotics, or delayed closure (>30 days). Patients were classified as receiving either a short-course (≤24 h post-closure) or prolonged-course (>24 h) of prophylactic antibiotics. The primary outcome was infection within 30 days of closure (e.g. sepsis, wound infection, central line-associated blood stream infection). Logistic regression adjusted for gestational age, birth weight, delivery type, and time to closure was calculated.
Results:
Fifty-three neonates were included: 28 received short-course and 25 received prolonged-course antibiotics. Infection occurred in 16/28 (57 %) short-course patients and 11/25 (44 %) prolonged-course patients. The adjusted odds ratio of infection for prolonged versus short-course antibiotics was 0.82 (95%CI = 0.25,2.65, p = 0.74).
Conclusion:
Discontinuation of prophylactic antibiotics up to 24 h after closure was not associated with an increased likelihood of infection in our cohort. This finding supports the current APSA recommendation to discontinue prophylactic antibiotics 24 h after abdominal wall closure in uncomplicated gastroschisis.
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