Peroperative systemic prophylaxis in colorectal surgery.
In an effort to reduce infection rates in elective colorectal surgery to acceptable levels without oral non-absorbable antimicrobials, using only a short course of systemic antimicrobials, 50 patients were studied in a multicentre trial. Each patient received metronidazole for anti-anaerobic coverage. The anti-aerobic coverage consisted of netilmicin, cefuroxime or placebo, administered in a double-blind manner. Five out of 36 evaluable patients had an infection at the operation site. Two patients had peritonitis (one metronidazole-netilmicin and one metronidazole-placebo) and three had a wound abscess in the abdominal wall (all metronidazole-placebo). It is concluded that a short course of peroperative systemic prophylaxis with metronidazole and netilmicin or cefuroxime--without the use of oral non-absorbable antimicrobials--gave acceptable results in the centres studied.
D002444:Cefuroxime / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003106:Colon / Q000601:surgery*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009428:Netilmicin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011292:Premedication; D011897:Random Allocation; D012007:Rectum / Q000601:surgery*; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*
D002511:Cephalosporins; D008795:Metronidazole; D009428:Netilmicin; D002444:Cefuroxime