title: [Prophylactic antibiotics in neurosurgery].
abstract: The post-operative infection-rate in neurosurgical patients who received prophylactic antibiotics was compared to the infection-rate of patients who received no antibiotics. None of the 73 studied patients had pre-operative infection. Infections occured in 26,4% of the patients in the first group and in none of the second group (p less than 0,2); 27,5% of the patients with intracranial lesions and 9% of the patients with spinal lesions in the frist group had post-operative infections, and none in the second group (p less than 0,05 and 0.05 less than p less than 0.1). 67% of all the patients had severe neurological lesions; 27% of these had post-operative infections; only 4% of the patients with mild lesions had infections (p less than 0.05). Post-operative infections were severe and fatal in most of these cases. Prophylactic broad-spectrum antibiotics were of no value in preventing post-operative infections in these neurosurgical patients and those who received no antibiotics had a significantly lower rate of infections.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001921:Brain / Q000601:surgery*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
vernacular_title: Antibióticos profiláticos em neurocirurgia.