ReviewCureus2026
An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials on Postoperative Antibiotic Administration After Cholecystectomy for Acute Mild to Moderate Cholecystitis.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The role of extended postoperative antibiotic therapy after cholecystectomy for mild-to-moderate acute cholecystitis remains controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to update the existing evidence by incorporating more recently published randomized controlled trials to evaluate whether postoperative antibiotics reduce infectious complications in this patient population. A systematic search identified randomized controlled trials comparing postoperative antibiotics versus no postoperative antibiotics following cholecystectomy for mild-to-moderate acute cholecystitis. All included patients received standard pre- or perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Primary outcomes were overall surgical site infection, superficial infection, deep wound infection, and organ space infection. Secondary outcomes included postoperative hospital stay, fever lasting more than two days, morbidity, and urinary tract infection. Five randomized controlled trials involving 931 patients were included, of whom 449 (48.2%) received postoperative antibiotics. Postoperative antibiotics did not significantly reduce overall surgical site infection rates or superficial and deep wound infections. A significant reduction in organ space infection was observed. No significant differences were found in postoperative hospital stay, postoperative fever, morbidity, or urinary tract infection. Routine postoperative antibiotic administration after cholecystectomy for mild-to-moderate acute cholecystitis does not provide a significant benefit in reducing overall surgical site infections or other postoperative outcomes, apart from a limited reduction in organ space infections. When adequate source control is achieved with appropriate pre- or perioperative prophylaxis, a selective and patient-specific approach to postoperative antibiotic use is supported to minimize unnecessary antibiotic exposure and promote antimicrobial stewardship.
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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.