Perioperative Antibiotic Exposure: Patterns of perioperative antibiotic use documented in existing medical records, including timing, indication, antibiotic type, duration, frequency, and route of administration. No antibiotic treatment will be assigned or provided by the study.
Study summary
This retrospective observational cohort study will evaluate whether perioperative antibiotic use is associated with long-term surgical scar outcomes. The study will include adult patients who underwent body surface surgery at Nanfang Hospital between January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2025 and have available surgical, medication, and scar-related clinical records.
The study will not assign participants to any treatment. Researchers will review existing medical records, perioperative antibiotic exposure, surgical characteristics, complications, and scar assessments or photographs. Scar outcomes will be assessed using modified visual analogue scale scores, scar width, scar type, and scar-related complications.
Eligibility
Sex
ALL
Min age
18 Years
Max age
—
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion Criteria:
* Age 18 years or older.
* Underwent body surface surgery at Nanfang Hospital between January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2025, with a linear surgical incision scar.
* Presented to the Department of Plastic Surgery at Nanfang Hospital for surgical scar-related care.
* Had no medical encounter record at Nanfang Hospital from January 1, 2025 to the time of study screening.
* Available clear surgical records and perioperative medication records.
Exclusion Criteria:
* Known tendency for pathological scarring or scar constitution.
* History of chronic skin disease in the surgical area, such as psoriasis or eczema.
* Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, hypoalbuminemia, or long-term use of immunosuppressive agents or glucocorticoids.
* Target scar received any scar-specific treatment after surgery, such as laser therapy, radiotherapy, drug injection, or surgical revision.
Primary outcome measure(s)
Overall Scar Appearance Score Assessed Using a Modified Visual Analogue Scale — Scar photographs were taken during postoperative clinical follow-up, with an overall range from 3 months to 20 years after surgery. Given the wide span, the assessments will be stratified and reported according to the actual time of photography, for exam Overall scar appearance will be evaluated from scar photographs by three blinded physicians or trained study personnel using a modified visual analogue scale. Scores range from 1 to 10, with 1 indicating appearance similar to normal skin and 10 indicating the worst imaginable scar appearance.
Trial sites (1)
Facility
City
Region
Status
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Guangzhou
Guangdong
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This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.
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