The role of antibiotic prophylaxis in the new era of immunosuppression

Abstract

Despite significant improvements in renal transplantation (RTX), certain basic issues remain unresolved such as the routine use of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP). To address the need for PAP, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical course of 349 consecutive RTX patients who did not receive any PAP except for Bactrim. Of the 349 transplant recipients, 77% received induction therapy with low-dose rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) and the others were treated with basiliximab. All patients received triple immunosuppression with tacrolimus, mycophenolic acid, and prednisone. Seven patients (2%) developed wound infections. Wound infections were more common in obese and older patients. All wound infections were superficial and responded well to wound drainage and outpatient antibiotic therapy. Six patients (1.7%) experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI) within the first postoperative month. UTIs were more common in the patient with ureteral stent compared to nonstented patients (11.4% vs 0.3%, P<.001). No patient or graft was lost due to perioperative bacterial infections (PBI). Our study shows that despite many predisposing factors, PBI are rare following RTX even in the absence of PAP. Therefore, in order to avoid emergence of multiantibiotic-resistant pathogens, excessive costs, and antibiotic-related adverse events, we suggest that PAP should be used only in selected circumstances such as in recipients older than 60 or when the body mass index is greater than 35.