SynthesisBJS open2021
Topical antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical wound infections in clean and clean-contaminated surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BJS open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of topical antibiotics on the prevention and management of wound infections: A meta-analysis.International wound journal · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of topical gentamicin in preventing surgical site infection in elective incisional hernia repair in a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Mechanisms and Evolution of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ophthalmology: Surveillance, Clinical Implications, and Future Therapies.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Cobalt-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Work Synergistically with Weak Acetic Acid to Eliminate Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacterial Infections.ACS nano · 2025Article
- Review
- Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis: A Proposal for a Global Evidence-Based Bundle.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Measures to Prevent Infection in Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Replacements or Upgrades.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2024Review
- State of the Evidence for Facial Skin Cancer Reconstruction.Facial plastic surgery : FPS · 2023Review
- Six Long-Standing Questions about Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgery.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- [Resource conservation from the perspective of infection prevention].Chirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
- ANTIBIOTIC PROPHYLAXIS FOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY: WHEN TO RECOMMEND? BRAZILIAN COLLEGE OF DIGESTIVE SURGERY POSITION PAPER.Arquivos brasileiros de cirurgia digestiva : ABCD = Brazilian archives of digestive surgery · 2023Article
- Optimizing Surgical Site Infection Prevention in Dermatologic Surgery.Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgeryReview
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTopical 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.
methodsRandomized 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.).
resultsThirteen 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).
conclusionGiven 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.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.