The Role of Antibiotics in Full Thickness Skin Graft Survival for Facial Reconstructive Surgery

Description

Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed to patients who have had reconstructive surgery of wounds on their face using skin grafts. But, it is not yet known whether antibiotics improve the healing of skin grafts and reduce the risk of infections after surgery in these patients. It is known that antibiotics, like all medications, have side-effects although these are rare. This research study is designed to show us whether antibiotics improve wound healing or not, so that we may determine if we should continue using antibiotics even if they have side-effects in some patients. Our hypothesis is that patients treated with post-operative, systemic antibiotics will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the survival of their facial full thickness skin grafts compared to patients who are not treated with systemic antibiotics.

Conditions

Facial Defect

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed to patients who have had reconstructive surgery of wounds on their face using skin grafts. But, it is not yet known whether antibiotics improve the healing of skin grafts and reduce the risk of infections after surgery in these patients. It is known that antibiotics, like all medications, have side-effects although these are rare. This research study is designed to show us whether antibiotics improve wound healing or not, so that we may determine if we should continue using antibiotics even if they have side-effects in some patients. Our hypothesis is that patients treated with post-operative, systemic antibiotics will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the survival of their facial full thickness skin grafts compared to patients who are not treated with systemic antibiotics.

The Role of Antibiotics in Full Thickness Skin Graft Survival for Facial Reconstructive Surgery

The Role of Antibiotics in Full Thickness Skin Graft Survival for Facial Reconstructive Surgery

Condition
Facial Defect
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Ann Arbor

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * all adult patients with a nasal or facial skin/soft tissue defect requiring reconstruction limited to or including a full-thickness skin graft
  • * current or recent (within one week of surgery) systemic antibiotic use, intolerance to both clindamycin and cephalexin, discovery of a persistent cutaneous malignancy at the site of the defect following the reconstructive procedure and previous reconstruction at the site of the skin/soft-tissue defect.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

University of Michigan,

Jeffrey Y Moyer, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Michigan Otolaryngology

Study Record Dates

2026-09