Can Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Adults Undergoing Inguinal Hernia Repair Reduce the Rate of Occurrence of Surgical Site Infection?

Abstract

Purpose： The standard operation for inguinal hernia in adults is tension-free repair. Surgical site infection complicating this operation is uncommon; however, once it occurs, it may be difficult to cure. We analyzed the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis on the rate of occurrence/control of SSI associated with this operative method and present the results herein.

Method: We divided 88 cases that underwent surgery for unilateral primary inguinal hernia (mesh repair) from October 2011 to July 2015 at our hospital into a group that received antibiotic prophylaxis (prophylaxis(+) group; 33 cases) and another that did not receive antibiotic prophylaxis (prophylaxis(-) group;55 cases), and compared the incidence of SSI between the two groups. We also compared the background characteristics such as the age, degree of obesity, duration of surgery, and amount of bleeding between the two groups.

Results: There were no significant differences in the background factors between the two groups. Although SSI was found in three cases of the prophylaxis(-) group, the difference in the incidence of SSI between the two groups was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference in the incidence of SSI between the two groups, the incidence rate of SSI tended to be lower in the group that received antibiotic prophylaxis.