ObjectiveTo assess whether pre-operative use of infliximab (IFX) will increase the risk of post-operative infectious complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). MethodsPubmed, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI and Wanfang database were searched for all the trials that investigated the effects of infliximab on postoperative infectious complication rates in patients with IBD between January 1990 and April 2013. Two reviewers independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed the quality of the included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.1 software. ResultsTotally, 14 cohort studies were finally included in the review. There was no significant difference on infectious complications [RR=0.99, 95%CI (0.47, 2.07), P=0.97] between IFX groups and control groups with ulcerative colitis. The same results were found in patients with Crohn's disease on infectious complications [RR=1.32, 95%CI (0.87, 1.98), P=0.19]. ConclusionPre-operative infliximab use is safe and does not increase the risk of post-operative infectious complications in patients with IBD.