Abstract: Objective: To explore the necessity of the preventive use of antibiotics and the effects of age and operation time on the efficacy of inguinal hernia repair without tension, and to elucidate the clinical significance of the preventive application of prophylactic antibiotics in inguinal hernia repair without tension. Methods: A total of 228 patients with inguinal hernia repair without tension were selected, amomg them 42 cases with high infection factors were treated with antibiotics (treated group),and 186 cases were not treated with antibiotics(untreated group) during the preoperative period.The prophylactic antibiotics were given 30 min before surgery, and the conventional dose was not used more than 48 h after surgery. All the cases were treated with artificial repair materials for the procedure of inguinal hernialrepair without tension.The age, highest body temperature, white blood cell count, operation time, hospitalization time, and postoperative body temperature of all the 228 cases were recorded and analyzed statistically. Results: The preoperative and postoperative white blood cell counts had significant differences between the patients<60 years and the patients ≥ 60 years in untreated group (P<0.05);there were no significant differences in the operation time, hospitalization time and body temperature between the patients<60 years and the patients ≥ 60 years in untreated group (P>0.05).Compared with the patients with the operation time>90 min, the white blood cell count and hospitalization time of the patients with the operation time ≤ 90 min were increased (P<0.05).There were no significant differences of the body temperature and age between the patients with the operation time >90 min and the patients with the operation time ≤ 90 min (P>0.05). The white blood cell count, operation time,hospitalization time and postoperative body temperature of the patients between treated group and untreated group had no significant differences (P>0.05). Conclusion: The use of antibiotics in the high-risk patients and non-use of antibiotics in the majority of elective inguinal hernia repair without tension can ensure the safe and performability of the patients.

Key words: inguinal hernia, tension-free repair, antibiotic, preventive use