Background: The role of prophylactic antibiotics remains controversial. It is clear that actively facial fractures are considered as clean contaminated and should be treated with therapeutic antibiotics; however, there is widespread variability in the use, type, timing, and duration of prophylactic antibiotic administrated in practice today. There is an adverse effect of increased antibiotic resistance, as well as costs, it is important to review the current evidence for the role of prophylactic antibiotics in compound facial fractures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role and significance of preoperative, perioperative and postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis for patients when there is already an infective focus, such as compound facial fracture. Materials and methods: A total of 70 Iraqi patients aged 4-65 years, 50 males and 20 females who met the eligibility criteria were enrolled in this study to evaluate the infection rate in patients who have sustained compound facial fractures treated by open or closed treatment. The patients were divided into two groups, Group A included 50 patients who received pre, peri and post-operative antibiotics. Postoperatively the antibiotics utilized in two different regimen timing. In Group B antibiotics were administrated peri and post-operatively for 20 patients. They were then followed up to 4 weeks for any sign or evidence of infection such as pus discharge. Results: There was no significant association (p=0.664) between the incidence of post-operative infections and pre-operative administration of antibiotics. Significant association p.Value (0.032) between prevalence of postoperative infection and type of surgery. Conclusion: Perioperative prophylactic antibiotics have been proven to lower infection rates postoperatively. Open reduction presented with significant complication (infection) than closed reduction modality of treatment.
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