title: Three days cefoxitin in perforated appendicitis.
abstract: This study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of a 3-day course of treatment with Mefoxitin (cefoxitin sodium, MSD) in patients with perforated or ruptured appendicitis. A series of 235 patients undergoing surgery for perforated or ruptured appendicitis were treated with cefoxitin for 3 days. Twenty-four patients (10%) developed wound infection and 28 (12%) developed an intra-abdominal abscess postoperatively. No side effects were observed during the study. Compared with the results of our previous series, where a 5-day course of cefoxitin was used, the incidence of wound infection was similar. However the incidence of intra-abdominal abscesses in the present series was significantly higher (p less than 0.01). The results seem to indicate that a 3-day course of cefoxitin is as effective as a 5-day course in controlling the incidence of wound infection following surgery for perforated or ruptured appendicitis, whereas the 3-day course seems to be inferior to a 5-day course in controlling the incidence of intra-abdominal abscesses.
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000601:surgery*; D002440:Cefoxitin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D002440:Cefoxitin