title: Postoperative Prophylactic Antibiotic Use following Ventral Hernia Repair with Placement of Surgical Drains Reduces the Postoperative Surgical-Site Infection Rate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To help prevent complications after incisional ventral hernia repair, traditional teaching has recommended using closed suction drains. However, some studies suggest that there is an increased infection risk with use of surgical drains, and it is uncertain whether use of extended postoperative prophylactic antibiotics while drains remain in place helps prevent surgical-site infections. Evidence guiding surgeons' clinical practice regarding antibiotic use following hernia repair is lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors sought to determine whether the use of extended postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis beyond standard Surgical Care Improvement Project guidelines with closed-suction surgical drain placement in incisional ventral hernia repair reduces the incidence of postoperative surgical-site infections. A retrospective review of 234 patients who underwent an incisional ventral hernia repair from 2003 to 2013 at a single institution was performed. Demographic, preoperative, operative, and postoperative data were collected and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Extended postoperative prophylactic antibiotics significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative surgical-site infections (OR, 0.31; p < 0.01). The odds ratio, when stratified by Ventral Hernia Working Group Scale, was 0.63, 0.25, 0.30, and 0.13 (p < 0.001 by the Mantel-Haenszel combined test) for grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, but was not statistically significant for differences between hernia grades. However, as the hernia grade increased, the odds ratio tended to decrease, suggesting that extended prophylactic antibiotics may be more effective at decreasing the incidence of surgical-site infections at higher grades.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extended antibiotic prophylaxis reduces surgical site infection risk following complex ventral hernia repairs, and should be considered in all cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic, III.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco, Calif. From the Divisions of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and General Surgery, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Alvin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Solomon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Nirmal S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Nathan
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Scott L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Hobart W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Hani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sbitany
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000379:methods*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006555:Hernia, Ventral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D059685:Herniorrhaphy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology