Comparison of Infection Rates according to the Period of Prophylactic Antibiotic Use after Surgery in Patients with Distal Radius Fractures

Abstract

Purpose: In general orthopedic surgery, the use of prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infection is recommended to be administered within 24 hours. However, there was no analysis on the incidence of surgical site infection according to the duration of use of prophylactic antibiotics for upper extremity fractures. This study aims to derive the appropriate prophylactic antibiotic using time by analyzing the incidence of infection according to the time of prophylactic antibiotic use in distal radius fractures.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who used prophylactic antibiotics among patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation for distal radius fractures from April 2018 to May 2021. The time of use of prophylactic antibiotics was classified into the 1-day group used, from 1 hour before surgery to 24 hours after the first administration, and the long-term group, continuously administered until discharge after surgery. Demographic characteristics, infection rate, C-reactive protein, risk factors for surgical site infection, and bone union were compared between the two groups.Results: A total of 168 patients were included in the study, 73 in the 1-day group and 95 in the long-term group. Superficial infection occurred in seven patients in the 1-day group and nine in the long-term group, and there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence rates of the two groups (p=0.980). Conclusion: The use of prophylactic antibiotics for 24 hours does not show a significant increase in the infection rate compared to the case of continuous use during open reduction and internal fixation of distal radius fractures.