A meta-analysis examined the effect of topical nursing application of antimicrobial as a prophylaxis for the stoppage of surgical wound infection in colorectal surgery.

To assess the impact of topical antimicrobial (TA) as a prophylaxis for the stoppage of surgical wound infection (SWI) in colorectal surgery (CS), we lead a meta-analysis. 9160 participants with CS were enrolled in the chosen studies; 4719 of them used TA, while 4441 served as controls. To assess the effectiveness of TA application in lowering SWIs following CS, odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed with a dichotomous technique with a fixed- or random-effect model. Significantly lower SWIs post CS for TA as whole (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.38-0.64; P < .001), gentamicin collagen sponge and beads (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.32-0.86; P = .01), triclosan impregnated fascial suture (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.38-0.84; P = .005), antibiotic powder, ointment, lavage, or injection for the abdominal wound (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.21-0.59; P < .001), and ionised silver dressing on the closed abdominal wound (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.27-0.77; P = .003) compared to control. Significantly lower SWIs post CS for TA as a whole, gentamicin collagen sponge and beads, triclosan impregnated fascial sutures, antibiotic powder, ointment, lavage, or injection for the abdominal wound, and ionised silver dressing on the closed abdominal wound compared with control. The low sample size of 8 out of the 39 included studies in this meta-analysis calls for precaution when analysing the outcomes.