Post-Operative Care for Penile Implant Patients

Infection Prevention and Management

The American Urological Association recommends adding an antifungal agent to antibacterial coverage, reducing infection risk by 92% compared to antibacterial agents alone 1
Patients should continue perioperative antibiotics as prescribed, recognizing that infection occurs in 1-6% of patients, with higher rates in diabetics 2, 3
The use of antibiotic-impregnated/coated devices, antiseptic surgical scrub, no-touch technique, and wound irrigation should be employed during surgery to minimize infection risk 1
Diabetic patients have nearly double the infection risk and require more aggressive prophylaxis 1
Patients with immunosuppression, prior pelvic radiotherapy, or revision cases need heightened surveillance 4

Infection warning signs include increasing pain, fever, wound drainage, erythema, or warmth at the surgical site 2, 3
Do not ignore early signs of infection, as device infection can necessitate explantation, cause sexual dysfunction, and result in additional penile length loss 2, 3
Inadequate infection prevention by omitting antifungal prophylaxis is a critical error given the 92% risk reduction it provides 1
Failure to optimize pre-existing medical comorbidities, particularly diabetes, increases infection risk 1

Median follow-up typically occurs at 9 months, though patients without complications may be seen at 13 months 4