Perioperative Antibiotics in the Setting of Oropharyngeal Reconstruction: Less Is More.

BACKGROUND: Recipient-site infection after oropharyngeal reconstruction is a potentially disastrous complication. Although studies suggest that perioperative antibiotics reduces infection rates in these patients from 87% to 20%, there is no consensus regarding what constitutes the most appropriate antibiotic regimen and duration of treatment. METHODS: A retrospective review of perioperative antibiotic administration was performed of all patients who underwent local, pedicled, or free flap oropharyngeal reconstruction after oncologic resection by a single surgeon at a single institution between 2007 and 2013 to assess for recipient-site complications. RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients underwent 100 reconstructions (61 free flap reconstructions, 39 pedicled/local flap reconstructions) and all received a combination of intravenous (IV) antibiotic agents designed to cover oral flora. There were 23 (23%) recipient-site complications, which included cellulitis (9%), mucocutaneous fistula (5%), abscess (5%), and wound dehiscence (4%). Duration of antibiotic prophylaxis, defined as less than 48 hours (short-course) or greater than 48 hours (long-course), was not a significant predictor of recipient-site complication. Significant risk factors for recipient-site complications were clindamycin prophylaxis (P < 0.008), increased duration of surgery (P < 0.047), and advanced age (P < 0.034). Recipient-site complication was found to be a significant predictor of both increased length of hospital stay (P < 0.001) and increased time to the resumption of enteral feeds (P < 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that extended courses of perioperative antibiotics do not confer additional benefits in patients undergoing oropharyngeal reconstruction. We recommend a limited 48-hour course of prophylactic antibiotics with sufficient aerobic and anaerobic coverage to help minimize the incidence of antibiotic-related morbidities.

Optimizing Successful Outcomes in Complex Spine Reconstruction Using Local Muscle Flaps.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative wound complications in patients undergoing complex spinal surgery can have devastating sequelae, including hardware exposure, meningitis, and unplanned reoperation. The literature shows that wound complication rates in this patient population approach 19 percent and, in very high-risk patients (i.e., prior spinal surgery, existing spinal wound infection, cerebrospinal fluid leak, malignancy, or history of radiation therapy), as high as 40 percent and with reoperation rates as high as 12 percent. The authors investigated whether prophylactic closure of spinal wounds with muscle flaps improves outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 102 reconstructions (in 96 patients) in which spinal wound closure was performed by means of paraspinous, trapezius, or latissimus muscle advancement flaps by a single plastic surgeon (J.A.S.) from 2006 to 2014. Data regarding presurgical diagnosis, patient demographics, and incidence of postoperative complications were recorded. RESULTS: One hundred two reconstructions were included, with follow-up ranging from 2 to 60 months. Eighty-eight reconstructions were classified as very high-risk for wound complications, defined as those having prior spinal surgery, existing spinal wound infection, cerebrospinal fluid leak, malignancy, or prior radiation therapy. Within the very high-risk group, there were six wound complications (6.8 percent), three of which (3.4 percent) required reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there is a markedly lower rate (6.8 percent) of postoperative wound complications compared with historical controls after closure of spinal wounds with local muscle flaps in very high-risk patients. These data encourage safe and routine use of muscle flaps for closure in this cohort of patients undergoing spinal surgery. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.