Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection After Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of antimicrobial prophylaxis (AMP) in the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) following thyroid and parathyroid surgery remains uncertain. The objective of this prospective randomized controlled trial (Ito-RCT1) was to assess the effectiveness of AMP in clean neck surgery performed to treat thyroid and parathyroid disease. METHODS: Participants comprised patients scheduled for clean neck surgery for thyroid and parathyroid disease at Ito Hospital. Patients whose surgery included sternotomy or resection of the trachea, larynx, pharynx, or esophagus were excluded. AMP consisted of 2 g of piperacillin (PIPC) (group A, n = 541) or 1 g of cefazolin (CEZ) (group B, n = 541) administered intravenously immediately after endotracheal intubation. Patients in the control group (Group C, n = 1,082) did not receive AMP. RESULTS: Statistical analysis was performed to compare the AMP group (Group A + Group B) with the control group (Group C). Drug-induced acute reactions correlated to PIPC or CEZ did not occur in the AMP group. No significant differences in the postoperative incidence of liver or renal dysfunction were seen between the AMP and control groups. Postoperative incidence of urinary tract infection was significantly higher in the control group (p = 0.002). The incidence of SSI events was very low, with only 1 event (0.09 %) in the AMP group and 3 events (0.28 %) in the control group, and this difference between groups was not significant (p = 0.371). CONCLUSIONS: AMP is not necessary to prevent SSI after clean thyroid or parathyroid surgery.