title: Prophylactic antibiotics in first-trimester abortions: a clinical, controlled trial.
abstract: The efficacy of prophylactic antibiotic therapy in induced first-trimester abortions was investigated in a double-blind study. Of the 493 women in the study, 254 received doses of 2 million IU of penicillin G intramuscularly one-half hour before and 3 hours after the procedure, followed by 350 mg of pivampicillin three times daily for 4 days, and 239 women received corresponding doses of placebo. The incidence of pelvic infectious complications was 5.5% in the treated group and 10.9% in the control group (p = 0.05). The difference could be attributed to a selective prophylactic effect in women who had earlier suffered from pelvic inflammatory disease (N = 105). The rate of infection in this group was 22.4% among those receiving placebo and 2.1% among those receiving antibiotics (p = 0.006). Prophylactic administration of antibiotics for first-trimester abortions should be used in women who have earlier had pelvic inflammatory disease.
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000667:Ampicillin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003718:Denmark; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010917:Pivampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010919:Placebos; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011292:Premedication
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos; D010917:Pivampicillin; D000667:Ampicillin; D010400:Penicillin G