Preoperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis Does Not Reduce the Risk of Postoperative Infectious Complications in Patients Undergoing Elective Hepatectomy

Background and Aim Postoperative infection is not uncommon after hepatectomy. This study assessed the effectiveness of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in elective hepatectomy in a randomized clinical trial setting. Methods A total of 120 patients who were scheduled to undergo elective hepatectomy were equally randomized to receive either intravenous cefuroxime 1.5 g (group A) or placebo (group B) within 30 min prior to skin incision. Results Overall, postoperative infection occurred in 26 (21.6 %) of the 120 patients. There was no statistically significant difference between groups A and B in the incidence of overall infection (23.3 vs. 20.0 %, P = 0.658), surgical site infection (13.3 vs. 15 %, P = 0.793), and remote site infection (13.3 vs. 11.7 %, P = 0.783). Conclusion The use of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis as a routine practice in patients undergoing elective hepatectomy is unnecessary because it does not reduce the risk of postoperative infectious complications.