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Preoperative Antibiotics Do Not Change Infection Rates for Lower-Extremity Mohs Surgery

Niklinska EB, Hicks A, Wheless L, et al.
Dermatologic Surgery (2021)

JC: September 2025

This study evaluated whether preoperative antibiotics reduce infection rates in lower extremity Mohs surgery. The results demonstrated that prophylactic antibiotics did not significantly change surgical site infection rates, suggesting that routine antibiotic prophylaxis is unnecessary for most lower extremity Mohs procedures.

Take-Home Messages

  • •Preoperative antibiotics do not significantly reduce surgical site infection rates in lower extremity Mohs surgery.
  • •Routine antibiotic prophylaxis for lower extremity Mohs procedures is not supported by current evidence and should not be standard practice.

Topic

Perioperative Safety

Infection prevention, antibiotics, surgical safety protocols

Abstract

Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common complication for Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). Lower extremity surgical sites are at an increased risk for developing SSI. This study aimed to evaluate lower extremity SSI rates post-MMS based on closure type and antibiotic usage. A retrospective review was performed of all lower extremity MMS cases from 2011 to 2016 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Patient history, surgical details, and follow-up appointments were reviewed. Six hund...

Literature review only. This summary is an editorial interpretation and may not reflect the complete findings of the original publication. Always refer to the full-text article for clinical decision-making.