Lower extremities have the highest rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) following Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), according to a research letter published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Researchers conducted a systematic review to provide a quantitative estimate of SSI rates across different MMS closure techniques, stratified by body site. Based on 27 included reports, researchers identified 2,252 flap/graft closures, 3,818 primary closures, and 1,434 secondary intention healing cases. A significant difference between body sites was observed, with lower extremities having the highest SSI rates across all closure types. For head and neck, the pooled SSI rates were 0.01 for flap/graft closures, less than 0.01 for primary closure, and less than 0.01 for secondary intention healing; for lower extremity SSI, the corresponding rates were 0.11, 0.05, and 0.04.
