title: Previous chemotherapy as a predictor of wound infections in nonmajor head and neck surgery: Results of a prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of this prospective study was to determine the incidence of wound infections (WI) after clean uncontaminated head and neck cancer procedures and after emergency tracheotomies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred twelve clean procedures without tracheotomy or opening of mucosa (neck dissections, large skin resections, thyroidectomies, parotid gland resections, and explorative cervicotomies) were studied at Oscar Lambret Cancer Center over a 24-month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  WI rate was 6.6% (14 of 212). In a univariate analysis, only one variable was significantly related to the likelihood of WI: previous anticancer chemotherapy. All but one patient who had had previous chemotherapy demonstrated WI (14 of 15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After previous chemotherapy, WI rate in clean uncontaminated head and neck surgery was as high as 90%. In this case, antibiotic prophylaxis should be evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Hygiene unit, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France. n-penel@o-lambret.fr
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Penel
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.forename: Micheline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roussel-Delvallez
authors.forename: Jérome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sarini
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mallet
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D041121:Klebsiella oxytoca / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D009333:Neck / Q000601:surgery; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000009:adverse effects; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents