Incidence of Bacteremia, Infective Endocarditis, or Prosthetic Joint Infection in Dermatologic Surgery: A Systematic Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND Prophylactic antibiotic therapy is widely used in dermatologic surgery to prevent surgical site infections and bacteremia, which can lead to prosthetic joint infections (PJI) and infective endocarditis (IE) in high-risk populations. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the incidence of bacteremia, PJI, and IE after dermatologic surgery and assess the current evidence for antibiotic prophylaxis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A search of the computerized bibliographic databases was performed using key terms from the date of inception to March 21, 2021. Data extraction was performed independently by 2 data extractors. RESULTS The review resulted in 9 publications that met inclusion criteria, including 5 prospective cohort studies and 4 case reports or case series. The prospective studies reported a wide range of bacteremia incidence (0%–7%) after dermatologic surgery. No cases of PJI resulting directly from cutaneous surgery were identified, and only 1 case series reported IE after various skin procedures. CONCLUSION These findings suggest a low rate of bacteremia and a lack of direct evidence linking dermatologic surgery to PJI or IE. The scarcity of published data on this topic is a limitation, highlighting the need for further research, particularly randomized controlled trials, to guide antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations.