Effect of local prolonged-release incisional doxycycline on surgical site infection prophylaxis in abdominal colorectal surgery: the SHIELD 1 randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Despite advanced infection control practices including preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, surgical site infection (SSI) remains a challenge. This study aimed to test whether local administration of a novel prolonged-release doxycycline-polymer-lipid encapsulation matrix (D-PLEX) before wound closure, concomitantly with standard of care (SOC), reduces the incidence of incisional SSI after elective abdominal colorectal surgery.

Materials And Methods: This was a phase 3 randomized, controlled, double-blind, multinational study (SHIELD 1) between June 2020 to June 2022.