Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Surgical Site Infection in General Surgery: Oncological Treatments and HIPEC

Abstract

The procedure of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a combined surgical and oncological treatment for peritoneal carcinomatosis of various origins. Antibiotic prophylaxis is usually center-related and should be discussed together with the infectious disease specialist, taking into account the advanced oncologic condition of the patient, the complexity of surgery—often requiring multiorgan resections—and the risk of post-HIPEC neutropenia. The incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) after CRS and HIPEC ranges between 11 and 46%. These patients are also at high risk of postoperative abdominal infections and septic complications, and a bacterial translocation during HIPEC has been hypothesized. Many authors have proposed aggressive screening protocols and a high intra and postoperative alert, in order to minimize and promptly identify all possible infectious complications following CRS and HIPEC.