[Antibiotic prophylaxis in breast surgery. Preliminary resuls of a multicenter randomized study on 1400 cases]

Author(s): Sanguinetti A, Rosato L, Cirocchi R, Barberini F, Pezzolla A, Cavallaro G, Parmeggiani D, Ruggiero R, Docimo G, Procaccini E, Santoriello A, Rulli A, Gubitosi A, Canonico S, Taffurelli M, Sciannameo F, Barbarisi A, Docimo L, Agresti M, De Toma G, Noya G, Parmeggiani U, Avenia N

Affiliation(s): SC Chirurgia Endocrina, Universita degli Studi di Perugia. cirrocchiroberto@yahoo.it

Publication date & source: 2009-07, Ann Ital Chir., 80(4):275-9.

Publication type: Comparative Study; English Abstract; Multicenter Study; Randomized Controlled Trial

Breast surgery is classified among the procedures performed in clean surgery and is associated with a low incidence of wound infection (3-15%). The objective of this study was to evaluate the advantages antibiotic prophylaxis in patients undergoing breast surgery. A multicenter randomized controlled study was performed between January 2008 and November 2008. One thousand four hundred patients were enrolled in prospective randomized study; surgical wound infection was found in 41 patients (2.93%). In our RCT we have shown that in breast surgery antibiotic prophylaxis does not present significant advantages in patients with potential risk of infection (17 patients, 2.42%, subjected to antibiotic prophylaxis vs 24 patients, 3.43%, without antibiotic prophylaxis) (P = 0.27). In patients with drainage there is a significant minor incidence of wound infections in patients receiving antibiotic prophylaxis (5 patients, 0.92%, subjected to antibiotic prophylaxis vs 14 patients, 3.09%, without antibiotic prophylaxis) (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: This study is only a preliminary RCT to be followed by a study which should be enrolled more patients in order to get the results as statistically significant.