Infection prophylaxis in periorbital Mohs surgery and reconstruction: a review and update to recommendations

Effect of topical antibiotics on the prevention and management of wound infections: A meta-analysis

A meta-analysis research was implemented to appraise the effect of topical antibiotics (TAs) on the prevention and management of wound infections (WIs). Inclusive literature research was performed until April 2023, and 765 interconnected researches were reviewed. The 11 selected researches included 6500 persons with uncomplicated wounds at the starting point of the research: 2724 of them were utilising TAs, 3318 were utilising placebo and 458 were utilising antiseptics. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were utilised to appraise the consequence of TAs on the prevention and management of WIs by the dichotomous approach and a fixed or random model. TAs had significantly lower WI compared with placebo (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38-0.92, p = 0.02) and compared with antiseptics (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.31-0.88, p = 0.01) in persons with uncomplicated wounds (UWs). TAs had significantly lower WIs compared with placebo and antiseptics in persons with UWs. However, caution needs to be taken when interacting with their values because of the low sample size of some of the chosen researches and low number of researches found for the comparisons in the meta-analysis.

Comparative Incidence of Periocular Surgical Site Infections with Increased Surgical Mask Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effect of surgical mask use on infection rates for office-based periocular surgeries during the pandemic.

METHODS

An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review of medical records identified patients who had an office-based oculofacial plastic surgery procedure during the pandemic between March and December 2020. Statistical analysis was used to compare this group to patients that underwent procedures between March and December 2019, prior to the pandemic when neither surgeon nor patient wore a surgical mask.

RESULTS

The study consisted of 680 patients. Thirty-one different types of procedures were encountered. The incidence of infections in 2020 compared to 2019 was not statistically significant (1.12% (n = 3) versus 1.21% (n = 5), p = 1). All patients with infections were treated with oral antibiotics and improved without long-term complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Periocular surgical site infections are uncommon, and the wearing of surgical masks by patient and surgeon during our office-based oculofacial procedures did not change the incidence of SSIs.

Topical antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical wound infections in clean and clean-contaminated surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Topical antibiotics are widely prescribed as prophylaxis for surgical site infection (SSI). Despite giving high drug concentrations at local wound sites, their efficacy remains controversial. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis designed to compare the efficacy and safety of topical antibiotics with non-antibiotic agents in preventing SSI.

Methods

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing topical antibiotics in patients with clean and clean-contaminated postsurgical wounds were included. Relevant trials published before 30 September 2020, were searched in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases, without language restrictions. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSIs, presented as the event rate. The secondary outcome was the incidence of contact dermatitis (safety outcome). Data were synthesized using the random-effects model, with the results expressed as risk ratio (RR) with 95 per cent confidence intervals (c.i.).

Results

Thirteen RCTs were included. The incidence of SSIs and contact dermatitis showed no significant difference between topical antibiotics and non-antibiotic agents (RR 0.89, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.32 (P = 0.56, I² = 48 per cent); and RR 2.79, 95 per cent c.i. 0.51 to 15.19 (P = 0.24, I² = 0 per cent), respectively). In the subgroup analyses, a reduction in SSIs was also not observed in dermatological (RR 0.77, 95 per cent c.i. 0.39 to 1.55; P = 0.46, I² = 65 per cent), ocular (RR 0.08, 95 per cent c.i. 0.00 to 1.52; P = 0.09), spinal (RR 1.34, 95 per cent c.i. 0.65 to 2.77; P = 0.43, I² = 0 per cent), orthopaedic (RR 0.69, 95 per cent c.i. 0.37 to 1.29; P = 0.25, I² = 0 per cent), or cardiothoracic surgeries (RR 1.60, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 3.25; P = 0.19).

Conclusion

Given the current evidence, the routine application of topical antibiotics to surgical wounds did not reduce the incidence of SSI. Further trials are needed to assess their effectiveness in high-risk surgeries or in selected patient groups.

Postoperative Candida Infection following Complex Periocular Reconstruction

Postoperative candida infection is a rarely reported complication in cutaneous surgery, although it may develop more often in particular clinical settings. We present a 59-year-old woman with a well-controlled human immunodeficiency virus infection. She developed a bright red eruption with satellite pustules 2 weeks after excision of recurrent lentigo maligna melanoma of the left lower eyelid and periocular region. Due to defect size and complexity of the reconstruction (glabellar transposition flap, Hughes flap, composite graft from upper contralateral eyelid, and full-thickness skin graft from ipsilateral retroauricular region), she was placed on prophylactic oral amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and topical bacitracin and polymyxin. Immediate postoperative course was unremarkable, and sutures were removed after 7 days. Three days later, she developed bright red erythema and pustules within the surgical site and complained of burning. Empirically she was switched to topical gentamicin and oral ciprofloxacin, and later to linezolid, due to inadequate response. Wound culture grew Candida albicans sensitive to fluconazole and voriconazole. After oral fluconazole and topical clotrimazole initiation, the patient rapidly improved. The graft remained viable and apart from small partial dehiscence on the cheek, the healing was unremarkable. Apart from the case presentation, we also discuss different factors associated with postoperative candida infection, including immunocompromised status, surgical procedure location, and postoperative antibiotic use. Early recognition and treatment of postoperative candida infections are crucial to prevent delayed healing and associated morbidity.

The Role of Topical Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Oculofacial Plastic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study

PURPOSE

The usefulness of topical antibiotic prophylaxis for routine oculofacial plastic surgery is not well established. Given concerns such as contact dermatitis, antibiotic resistance, and healthcare costs in conjunction with a low baseline rate of surgical site infections, the investigators sought to determine the frequency of infection with and without the use of topical antibiotic prophylaxis.

DESIGN

Randomized, controlled, unmasked clinical trial.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult patients undergoing routine periocular surgery without prior history of periocular surgical site infection, need for perioperative oral or parenteral antibiotics, or allergy to all study medications.

METHODS

Participants were randomized before surgery to receive either antibiotic or placebo (mineral oil and petrolatum-based) ointment after surgery. Outcomes were measured at the first postoperative visit. The 2-tailed Fisher exact test was used to compare outcomes between groups.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was the incidence of surgical site infections. The secondary outcomes included stratification of infections by patient risk characteristics, incidence of allergic contact dermatitis, and incidence of wound complications.

RESULTS

Four hundred one participants were enrolled and randomized, and 13 participants did not proceed with surgery or were lost to follow-up. High-risk features for infection were identified in 24% of the placebo group and 21% of the antibiotic group. Surgical site infections were more common in the placebo group (2.7% vs. 0.0%; P = 0.025). The rate of contact dermatitis was similar (0.5% vs. 0.5%; P = 1.00), as was the rate of wound dehiscence (2.7% vs. 3.5%; P = 0.77). Among the placebo group, the incidence of infections in the low- and high-risk participants was 2.9% and 2.2%, respectively. Infections were treated with oral or topical antibiotics and resolved without complication, except in 1 patient who required 2 subsequent surgeries to address the sequelae.

CONCLUSIONS

After routine oculofacial plastic surgery, patients treated with a topical antibiotic ointment showed a lower risk of surgical site infection compared with patients treated with a nonantibiotic ointment.