Antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical site infection in people undergoing liver transplantation

Antibiotics in anesthesia and critical care

Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to an underlying acute infection. Sepsis is a major worldwide healthcare problem. An annual estimated 48.9 million incident cases of sepsis is reported, with 11 million (20%) sepsis-related deaths. Administration of appropriate antimicrobials is one of the most effective therapeutic interventions to reduce mortality. The severity of illness informs the urgency of antimicrobial administration. Nevertheless, even used properly, they cause adverse effects and contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Both inadequate and unnecessarily broad empiric antibiotics are associated with higher mortality and also select for antibiotic-resistant germs. In this narrative review, we will first discuss important factors and potential confounders which may influence the occurrence of surgical site infection (SSI) and which should be considered in the provision of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP). Then, we will summarize recent advances and perspectives to optimize antibiotic therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU). Finally, the major role of the microbiota and the impact of antimicrobials on it will be discussed. While expert recommendations help guide daily practice in the operating theatre and ICU, a thorough knowledge of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) rules is critical to optimize the management of complex patients and minimize the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms.

Donor Safety First: Postoperative Hepatectomy Outcomes in Living Liver Donors

BACKGROUND

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has become a popular treatment option because some countries lack a deceased organ program and the growing demand for liver transplants. Although postoperative outcomes are similar to deceased donor liver transplants, there is still an element of risk to the donor. The Clavien-Dindo classification system has been used to standardize reporting across different institutions and surgeons to categorize surgical outcomes.

METHODS

Between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, 207 living donors underwent hepatectomies at our center. All donors underwent a 3-step process of mandatory screening. Postsurgical complications were classified using the Clavien-Dindo classification.

RESULTS

A total of 207 donor hepatectomies for LDLT were performed during our study period. Most donors (92.8%) were aged between 18 and 39 years. The most common type of graft used was a right lobe without the middle hepatic vein (82.6%). Most donors (91.7%) experienced an intraoperative blood loss of ≤500 mL. A total of 140 patients had an ordinary postoperative course. Grade 1 complications were observed in 16.9%, grade 2 in 12.1%, and grade 3 in 3.4% of the remaining patients. No grade 4 or grade 5 (patient death) complications were observed in this cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Living donor liver transplantation remains the most practiced liver transplant surgery in Pakistan. Our findings highlight the safety of the LDLT program with minimal risk of significant complications. The study also underscores the importance of careful screening and monitoring of living donors and the need for standardized reporting of surgical outcomes using the Clavien-Dindo classification system.

Carbapenems versus Cephalosporin or Piperacillin-Tazobactam as Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Liver Transplant Recipients with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Scores of ≥30: A Retrospective Study in a Chinese Population

Objective

Perioperative prophylaxis, commonly with a third-generation cephalosporin plus ampicillin or piperacillin-tazobactam, is usually employed to prevent infections in liver transplantation (LT) recipients. Patients with a high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score have an increased infection risk after LT. However, whether carbapenems could be used as surgical prophylaxis in these high-risk patients remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of carbapenems with that of cephalosporin or piperacillin-tazobactam for surgical prophylaxis in high-risk LT recipients with a MELD score ≥30.

Design or Methods

This retrospective study included adult patients with a MELD score ≥30 who underwent LT between May 2018 and September 2020. We comparatively analyzed the infection rate and outcome between patients using cefoperazone-sulbactam or piperacillin-tazobactam and those using carbapenems as surgical prophylaxis.

Results

This study included 105 LT recipients. Seventy-eight and 27 patients used non-carbapenem and carbapenem antibiotics, respectively, as surgical prophylaxis. The corresponding infection incidence rates within 30 days were 38.5% and 66.7% (p = 0.011). Multivariate analysis revealed that reoperation and the Child–Pugh score were independent risk factors for infections within 30 days after LT. The following four risk factors were associated with the 180-day post-LT survival: MELD score, vascular complication, intra-abdominal bleeding, and infection with carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs). There was no significant difference in CRO infection incidence between the carbapenem and non-carbapenem groups (18.5% vs 11.5%; p = 0.345).

Conclusion

Carbapenem use as surgical prophylaxis was not associated with infection incidence within 30 days after LT, 180-day post-LT survival or CRO infection. Therefore, carbapenems are not superior to cephalosporin or piperacillin-tazobactam for perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in LT recipients with a MELD score ≥30.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with cirrhosis: Current evidence for clinical practice

Patients with cirrhosis show an increased susceptibility to infection due to disease-related immune-dysfunction. Bacterial infection therefore represents a common, often detrimental event in patients with advanced liver disease, since it can worsen portal hypertension and impair the function of hepatic and extra-hepatic organs. Among pharmacological strategies to prevent infection, antibiotic prophylaxis remains the first-choice, especially in high-risk groups, such as patients with acute variceal bleeding, low ascitic fluid proteins, and prior episodes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Nevertheless, antibiotic prophylaxis has to deal with the changing bacterial epidemiology in cirrhosis, with increased rates of gram-positive bacteria and multidrug resistant rods, warnings about quinolones-related side effects, and low prescription adherence. Short-term antibiotic prophylaxis is applied in many other settings during hospitalization, such as before interventional or surgical procedures, but often without knowledge of local bacterial epidemiology and without strict adherence to antimicrobial stewardship. This paper offers a detailed overview on the application of antibiotic prophylaxis in cirrhosis, according to the current evidence.

Comparison of Ceftizoxime Plus Ampicillin-Sulbactam versus Gentamicin Plus Ampicillin-Sulbactam in the Prevention of Post-Transplant Early Bacterial Infections in Liver Transplant Recipients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose

In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy of combined ceftizoxime with ampicillin-sulbactam versus combined gentamicin with ampicillin-sulbactam as prophylactic antibiotic regimen in preventing early bacterial PTIs in liver TX recipients at a referral center.

Patients and methods

All patients older than 18 years who had undergone liver TX at Abu-Ali Sina transplantation center in Shiraz, Iran from July 2018 to April 2019 were included in this study. In a single-blinded manner, the participants randomly received either combined intravenous ceftizoxime plus ampicillin-sulbactam (ceftizoxime group) or gentamicin plus ampicillin-sulbactam (gentamicin group) as prophylactic antibiotic regimen before the incision of the surgery, which was continued for 48 hrs after liver Tx. The rate and type of bacterial infections, length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay, mortality rate, and kidney function were assessed during 1 month following liver TX in the two groups.

Results

Two hundred and thirty patients were divided into two groups. One patient in the gentamicin group and five in the ceftizoxime group were excluded due to emergency exploratory laparotomy within the first 3 days after transplantation. The rate of bacterial infections during the first month after transplantation was 25.4%. This rate was significantly lower in the gentamicin group (13.16%) in comparison to the ceftizoxime group (38.18%) (P value<0.01), based on the univariate logistic regression analysis. Length of ICU and hospital stay and also mortality rate were significantly lower in the gentamicin group (P value <0.01). There was no significant difference regarding kidney function between the two groups (P value = 0.16).

Conclusion

Our results suggested that gentamicin can be considered as a promising agent in prophylactic antibiotic regimen for patients undergoing liver TX.

Trial registration

The study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20120731010453N2; http://www.irct.ir/).

Effect of Intraoperative Single-Shot Application of Vancomycin in Liver Transplant Recipients on Postoperative Infections With Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis

OBJECTIVES

Infections are major causes of morbidity and mortality in the early postoperative period after liver transplant. We observed a high rate of enterococcal infections at our center. Therefore, we added an intraoperative single shot of vancomycin to the standard regimen of meropenem given over 5 days. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of both Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis infections during the first 28 days after surgery depending on the type of antibiotic prophylaxis and their implications on mortality and morbidity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our retrospective cohort analysis included 179 patients: 93 patients received meropenem only and 86 patients were treated with meropenem plus vancomycin.

RESULTS

During the first 28 days after transplant, microbiological tests showed that 51 patients (28.5%) were positive for Enterococcus faecium and 25 patients (14.0%) were positive for Enterococcus faecalis. Enterococcus faecium infections appeared significantly more often in patients without vancomycin (P = .013). In the second week after transplant, there was a significant reduction in Enterococcus faecium infections in the meropenem plus vancomycin group (P = .015). Enterococcus faecalis infections occurred more often in the patients receiving meropenem alone, but results were not statistically significant (P = .194). There was a trend toward more frequent renal replacement therapy in the meropenem plus vancomycin group. We found no differences between the groups regarding survival after 1 and 2 years, length of hospital stay, or duration in the intensive care unit. Overall 1-year survival was 78.8% (141/179 patients).

CONCLUSIONS

Although postoperative Enterococcus species infections can be reduced after liver transplant by adding vancomycin to the intraoperative antibiotic regimen, it does not improve the long-term outcomes.