title: Peroperative antibiotics in the prevention of chest infection following cardiac operations.
abstract: Seventy-nine patients about to undergo cardiac operations were randomly allocated to two treatment groups in an attempt to reduce postoperative chest infections. The group receiving a short peroperative course of cefamandole, an antibiotic effective against both the pneumococcus and Haemophilus influenzae, had a significantly lower postoperative chest infection rate than the group receiving a 3-day course of cephradine, an antibiotic previously chosen to prevent intracardiac infection during the operation. By selecting an appropriate antibiotic it is possible, using a short peroperative course, to reduce the postoperative chest infection rate in patients undergoing cardiac operations.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002435:Cefamandole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002515:Cephradine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D002511:Cephalosporins; D002435:Cefamandole; D002515:Cephradine