title: Antibiotic concentration in the exudate of venous ulcers: the prediction of ulcer healing rate.
abstract: We have designed a test to measure the local circulatory insufficiency in the base of chronic venous ulcers by measuring the concentration of Cefuroxime in the ulcer exudate following a single intravenous injection of the antibiotic at a dose of 500 mg/m2. We have studied 28 patients with 42 ulcers and shown that the concentration achieved increased with in-patient conservative treatment (P less than 0.01), decreased again on discharge from hospital if the ulcers had not healed (P less than 0.01) and correlated with observed healing rates (r = 0.72). This test may assist in the clinical management of these cases by predicting healing rates and the likely outcome of conservative treatment.
mesh_terms: D001510:Bed Rest; D002444:Cefuroxime; D002511:Cephalosporins; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004058:Diffusion; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000601:surgery; D014689:Venous Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D002511:Cephalosporins; D002444:Cefuroxime