title: Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics in the prevention of postoperative complications after tension-free hernioplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous reviews of the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis for elective inguinal hernia repair were not conclusive owing to the limited number of patients enrolled in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, since new RCTs involving patients undergoing tention-free hernioplasty have been published in recent years, we performed a new meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxisin the prevention of postoperative complications after this procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a meta-analysis of RCTs studying the use of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent postoperative complications in patients undergoing tension-free hernioplasty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 6 RCTs conducted around the world in our analysis. Compared with the control condition, antibiotic prophylaxis was associated with a lower incidence of incision infection (odds ratio [OR] 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-0.77, p = 0.004). There were no significant differences in risk for incision hematoma (OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.60-4.10, p = 0.35), respiratory infection (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.17-5.79, p > 0.99) or urinary tract infection (OR 1.81, 95% CI 0.38-8.52, p = 0.45) between the 2 conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Antibiotic prophylaxis use in patients undergoing tension-free hernioplasty decreases the rate of incision infection by 55%.
authors.affiliation: The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Fang
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dan-Dan
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Xiao-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ai-Min
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Kuan-Xue
authors.initials: KX
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Heng-Gui
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control