Abstract
Objective: To determine the role of postoperative antibiotics in reducing the surgical site infections (SSIs) after open appendectomy in patients with non-perforated appendicitis (NPA).
Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.
Place and Duration of Study: The Department of Surgery, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from January 2010 to July 2011.
Methodology: Three hundred and seventy seven patients, who underwent appendectomy for NPA and fulfilled the selection criteria, were randomized into two groups. The patients in group A received a single dose of pre-operative antibiotics (cefuroxime sodium and metronidazole), while the group B patients received one more dose of the same antibiotics postoperatively. Patients of both the groups were followed-up for 30 days to assess the postoperative infective complications.
Results: Group A had 195, while group B comprised of 182 patients. The groups were comparable in the baseline characteristics. Statistically there was no significant difference in rates of SSIs between both the groups (p = 0.9182). Mean hospital stay was 2.29 +/- 0.81 and 2.35 +/- 0.48 days for group A and B respectively (p = 0.4403). None of the patients developed intraabdominal collection.
Conclusion: Single dose of pre-operative antibiotics (cefuroxime and metronidazole) was sufficient in reducing the SSIs after appendectomy for NPA. Postoperative antibiotics did not add an appreciable clinical benefit in these patients.