Research comparing the effectiveness of different doses of antibiotics prior to surgery for preventing infection is sparse. This study examines whether a single dose of preoperative antibiotics suffices to treat uncomplicated appendicitis via laparoscopic appendectomy.

This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 149 patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy from July 2013 to December 2014 in a single institution. The participants were divided into two groups; group A (n=99) was given a single dose of prophylactic antibiotics before surgery, and group B (n=50) was given both preoperative and postoperative antibiotics. Clinical factors and surgical outcomes were compared between two groups.

The mean length of hospital stay for group A (2.5 days) was shorter than for group B (3.2 days) (p<0.001). Average operation time was 58.7 minutes for group A, longer than for group B (52.2 minutes, p=0.027). There was no difference in pathologic results and postoperative complications, such as surgical site infection (SSI) between the two groups. In groups A and B, 4.0% of patients had superficial SSIs. One patient (2.0%) in group B had deep/organ SSI.

A single dose of prophylactic antibiotics administration to patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy is acceptable as a treatment in uncomplicated appendicitis.