Purpose: To conduct meta-analyses of all available studies comparing efficacies of prophylactic cefuroxime and prophylactic gentamicin/flucloxacillin (Gen/Flu) in preventing post-operative wound infections and their association with risks of Clostridium difficile infections and post-operative renal impairment.
Methods: Published studies including both prophylactic cefuroxime and prophylactic Gen/Flu used in surgery were included for meta analysis. Outcomes were analyzed using a random-effect model or a fixed-effect model depending on the heterogeneity across the included studies.
Results: Gen/Flu prophylaxis showed similar efficacy as cefuroxime prophylaxis in preventing post-operative wound infections and was associated with a significantly lower risk of Clostridium difficile infection, but it was associated with a higher risk of post-operative renal impairment, especially in orthopedic surgery.
Conclusions: Our findings that Gen/Flu prophylaxis was associated with significantly higher risk of post-operative renal impairment dictate that benefits and risks of Gen/Flu prophylaxis should be carefully assessed and balanced, and each patient should be evaluated individually so that a proper antibiotic prophylaxis regimen could be chosen.
Keywords: Cefuroxime; flucloxacillin; gentamicin; infection; meta-analysis; prophylaxis; surgery.