Is antibiotic usage necessary after donor nephrectomy? A single center experience.

Abstract

Proper management of living kidney donors is a very important aspect of all renal transplants. To date, approximately 60,000 living donor nephrectomies have been performed worldwide and about 20 deaths directly related to the operation have been reported. The most common cause of death has been pulmonary embolism. Wound infection following surgery is the third most common nosocomial infection, and is dependent on the surgeon and his/her team, the operating room, number and virulence of contaminated bacteria, patient characteristics (immunity and defense), as well as time and duration of administration of antibiotics. Approach to the prophylaxis of wound infection in kidney donors varies in different transplant centers. This study was conducted at the Emam Hospital, Tabriz, Iran in order to delineate the protocol regarding antibiotic usage after donor nephrectomy. One hundred kidney donors were enrolled in the study. They were classified randomly in two groups: Group-1, comprising 50 donors, who received antibiotics immediately following surgery and for at least seven days thereafter. Group-2, comprised of 50 donors, in whom one gram of cephazoline was injected intravenously before anesthesia and continued for 24 hours after surgery. The patients were followed-up for one month with particular emphasis on occurrence of wound infection. One patient in Group-1, and two in Group-2 had wound infection; the difference was not statistically significant (p = > 0.5). Our study suggests that antibiotic prophylaxis started before incision and continued for 24 hours after donor nephrectomy is safe and effective in preventing wound infection.