Infection Control With Topical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Mucosal Head and Neck Surgery: A Meta‐analysis

Abstract

Objective To assess for differences in surgical site infection (SSI) rates and bacterial load after major mucosal head and neck surgery between patients who received topical antimicrobial prophylaxis and those who did not. Data Sources Ovid Medline, Embase, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to May 20, 2021, with cross-referencing of retrieved studies per PRISMA guidelines. Review Methods Inclusion criteria captured clinical trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies with infectious outcomes of adults who underwent major mucosal head and neck surgery and received perioperative topical antimicrobial therapy to the oral cavity and/or pharynx. Studies of dental procedures were excluded. The primary outcome was SSI rate, and the secondary outcome was bacterial load. Two blinded investigators screened each text. Results Of 265 unique citations, 9 studies of 470 total patients were included. Topical treatments included numerous antibiotics and antiseptics directly applied over mucosa. Pooled SSI rates of 252 patients in the intervention cohort and 218 in the control cohort were 8% (95% CI, 3%-14%; I2 = 61.2%) and 29% (95% CI, 16%-43%; I2 = 79.5%), respectively. A meta-analysis of 7 comparative studies totaling 192 patients receiving topical therapy and 218 control patients revealed a pooled relative risk of 0.44 (95% CI, 0.28-0.68; I2 = 0.0%) in favor of the treatment group. The studies demonstrated a short-term decrease in bacterial counts after topical antimicrobial prophylaxis. Conclusion Patients who underwent prophylactic topical antimicrobial therapy had less than half the risk of developing SSI after mucosal head and neck surgery when compared with those who received no topical prophylaxis.

Effect of Different Local Antibiotic Regimens on Prevention of Postoperative Infection in Clean Surgical Wounds: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis

“…However, there are similar studies, despite different study premises, which may assist in interpreting the results. A meta-analysis by Lee et al 31 suggests there may be a significant risk reduction in SSI after mucosal head and neck surgery when local antibiotics are added to standard systemic prophylaxis. Another meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized clinical trials of topical antibiotics after primary closure for the prevention of SSI suggested that topical antibiotics likely prevent SSI compared with no topical antibiotic or antiseptic 32 .…”