title: Critical care requirements after elective surgery of the alimentary tract. The Norwegian Gastro-Intestinal Group (NORGAS).
abstract: Serious post-operative infectious complications requiring intensive care treatment were seen regularly in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery before peri-operative antimicrobial prophylaxis was introduced. A prospective multicentre study was carried out to study intensive care requirements in patients undergoing elective surgery of the alimentary tract in hospitals using a standardized antimicrobial prophylaxis regimen of a single intravenous dose of 400 mg doxycycline plus 1600 mg tinidazole 1-hour pre-operatively or at induction of anaesthesia. Only 56 (3.6%) out of the 1537 patients included in the study were treated in an intensive care unit for more than 1 day. Post-operative infectious complications related to peri-operative endogenous contamination were the reason for intensive care treatment in only 4 (0.26%) patients. It is concluded that such infectious complications are no longer the major reason for intensive care treatment after elective gastro-intestinal surgery and the substantial reduction in their frequency has been due to the use of 'short-term barrier' antimicrobial prophylaxis.
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009664:Norway; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011292:Premedication; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014011:Tinidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014011:Tinidazole; D004318:Doxycycline