title: Prophylactic antibiotic usage in patients undergoing inguinal mesh hernioplasty - A clinical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is ambiguity about the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in inguinal mesh hernioplasty. We have tried to assess the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in this procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized double blind placebo controlled study was conducted which included 55 patients who underwent an inguinal mesh hernioplasty over a 2 year period. The patients were evaluated for the status of the suture line as well as the presence of wound infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 55 patients 29 were randomized to the antibiotic arm and 26 to the placebo group. The groups were well matched for all variables studied excluding wound infections, which occurred at a rate of 10.34% (n = 3) in the antibiotic group and 15.38% (n = 4) in the placebo arm, (p > 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study did not document any statistically significant difference observed between those who received antibiotics and those receiving placebo in terms of any of the prognostic end points evaluated for Lichtenstein mesh hernioplasty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India.
authors.forename: Loveleen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thakur
authors.forename: Shekhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Upadhyay
authors.forename: Nitin J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Navdeep
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deodhar
keywords: Mesh henioplasty; Prophylactic antibiotic; Wound infection