Effectiveness of Single vs Multiple Doses of Prophylactic Intravenous Antibiotics in Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction

Do rates of postoperative surgical site infections after implant-based breast reconstruction improve when using a multiple-dose instead of a single-dose prophylactic antibiotic regimen?

In this randomized clinical trial, there were no differences in rates of postoperative infections among patients managed with single vs multiple doses of prophylactic antibiotics; multiple doses were associated with higher rates of adverse events.

Multiple-dose intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis is not superior to a single-dose regimen in preventing postoperative infection after implant-based breast reconstruction and is not recommended because of the associated higher rates of adverse events.