Postoperative Infection Following Clean Facial Surgery

Abstract

Postoperative facial wound infection and breakdown adds to patient morbidity and compromises the cosmetic outcome. This prospective study of 351 patients with a total of 464 wounds for clean elective facial surgery assessed three singificantly higher infection rate for the nasal and auricular zones compared with the rest of the face. Wound infection rates were 6.5% for the nasal area, 5% for the auricular area, and 1.5% for the rest of the face. The higher risk of infection to these zones was found to be independent of the lesion excised (benign vs. malignant) and the complexity of the surgery (skin grafts and local flaps) were found to increase the risk of postoperative infection significantly by up to fifteenfold compared with nononcologcal operations with direct closure. The associated morbidity and compromised cosmetic results with facial surgical wound breakdown makes it important to identify these higher risk factors and consider added prophylaxis.

Sylaidis P, Wood S, Murray DS. Postoperative infection following Clean facial surgery.