No significant benefit of administering peri-operative antibiotics for patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery using K-wire

Ahmad Abul et al conducted a study to compare the outcomes of antibiotic prophylaxis versus no antibiotic in K-wire fixation when used in either in trauma or elective orthopaedics. It has been published in “Indian Journal of Orthopaedics.”

Kirschner (K) wires are commonly used in orthopaedic surgery for fixation of unstable fractures such as supracondylar humerus fractures in paediatric patients, distal radius fractures in paediatric and adult patients and elective surgery of the foot.

There are currently no standardised guidelines on whether antibiotic prophylaxis is required for Kirschner wire (K-wire) fixation to minimise the risk of surgical site infection when used in patients undergoing clean orthopaedic surgery.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) Guidelines and a search of electronic information was conducted to identify all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies comparing the outcomes of antibiotic prophylaxis group versus those without antibiotic in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery in which K-wire fixation was used. Incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) was the primary outcome. Random effects modelling was used for the analysis.