Preop antibiotics significantly lower SSI risk in left colorectal surgery

Editor's Note

Adding oral antibiotics to mechanical bowel preparation for left colorectal cancer surgery significantly lowered the rate of surgical site infections (SSIs), but the effect was marginal in right-colon resections, this study finds.

For 89 patients having left colorectal resections, the rate of SSIs was 27% with mechanical bowel preparation alone and 8% with oral antibiotics added to the mechanical preparation.

In 65 patients having right colon resections, only 12 of whom received oral antibiotics, the SSI rate was marginally lower in those who received antibiotics (8% vs 13%).

Oral antibiotics combined with mechanical bowel preparation should be considered for all patients having left-sided colorectal cancer resections, the researchers concluded.

Question: Do oral antibiotics with mechanical bowel preparation reduce the risk of surgical site infections after left-sided colorectal cancer surgery? Findings In this cohort study, the rate of surgical site infections was 27% with mechanical bowel preparation only and 8% with oral antibiotics combined with mechanical bowel preparation.

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