Perioperative use of antibiotics in full-thickness rectal biopsies for Hirschsprung’s disease

Background There is no consensus on the use of perioperative antibiotic in full-thickness rectal biopsies (FTB) in children suspected for Hirschsprung disease. The primary objective of this study was to examine the effect of perioperative antibiotics on infectious and overall complications rate in FTB performed in children under the age of 1 year. Methods A retrospective chart review. Two time periods were compared—one with and one without the routine use of perioperative antibiotics. The treatment included cefuroxime 100 mg/kg and metronidazole 20 mg/kg administered intravenously at anesthesia induction followed by peroral administration of amoxicillin 50 mg/kg with Clavulanic acid 12.5 mg/kg three times a day t.i.d. for 3 days postoperative. Results In the group with perioperative antibiotics the infectious complications rate was 3.3% compared to 13.4% in the group without ( p = 0.03) with fever as the most common. The overall complication rate was 11.3% and 15.2%, respectively ( p = 0.43). Conclusion Perioperative antibiotics significantly reduced the rate of infectious complications, but not the rate of overall complication rate after a full thickness rectal biopsy in children under the age of 1 year.