No significant effect seen on overall wound complications, but risk for clinically relevant wound complications significant reduced<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, Nov. 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Prophylactic antibiotics do not have a significant effect on overall wound complications but significantly reduce the risk for clinically relevant wound complications in women with episiotomy or second-degree tear, according to a study published online Oct. 29 in The BMJ<\/em>.<\/p>\n Kathrine Perslev, from Herlev University in Denmark, and colleagues conducted a single-center, placebo-controlled randomized trial to examine the effect of prophylactic antibiotics on the risk for wound complications after episiotomy or second-degree tear. The study included 442 women with episiotomies or second-degree tears who were randomly assigned to receive three doses of amoxicillin (500 mg) with clavulanic acid (125 mg) or placebo starting within six hours postpartum and repeated at eight-hour intervals.<\/p>\n The primary analysis included 433 women. The researchers found no significant between-group difference in overall wound complications. Significantly fewer events occurred in the treatment group for clinically relevant wound complications (9 versus 17 percent; relative risk, 0.52). The number needed to treat was 12 for clinically relevant wound complications. Better self-evaluated health, fewer additional antibiotic treatments, and smaller average wound dehiscence among patients with dehiscence was seen in the treatment group. There were no serious adverse reactions.<\/p>\n “This finding supports the use of prophylactic antibiotics in routine clinical practice after a second-degree tear or episiotomy,” the authors write.<\/p>\n