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PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS IN SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS AFTER CAESAREAN SECTION: A META-ANALYSIS

CHUNCHAO NI, LI XU *

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This research aimed to systematically assess the preventive effects of antibiotic use on surgical site infections and other complications following caesarean section using meta-analysis. Controlled studies on surgical site infections following caesarean section with antibiotic use published from January 1970 to December 2023 were retrieved from PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. Literature screening was conducted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality of included studies was assessed. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3. Twelve studies involving 5,556 participants were included, with NOS scores ranging from 6 to 8, and most Cochrane risk of bias assessments were categorised as “Unclear risk” or “Low risk”. Meta-analysis revealed that the incidence of surgical site infections (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.310.51, Z = 7.30, p < 0.00001) and endometritis (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.410.73, Z = 4.09, p < 0.0001) was markedly lower in the antibiotic group versus the non-antibiotic group. Nevertheless, the incidence of urinary tract infections differed inconsiderably between the antibiotic and non-antibiotic groups (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.29 ~ 1.18, Z = 1.49, p = 0.14). The findings suggest that antibiotic prophylaxis after caesarean section effectively prevents the occurrence of surgical site infections and endometritis postoperatively.