Prevalence of infection following hepatic chemoembolization with cross-linked collagen with administration of prophylactic antibiotics.
OBJECTIVE
The authors present their experience with 494 hepatic chemoembolization (HCE) procedures in 236 patients with administration of a mixture of cross-linked collagen and chemotherapeutic agents. The prevalence of infectious complications was compared in patients who did and did not receive prophylactic administration of antibiotics as part of the HCE procedure.


METHODS
Fourteen HCE procedures in nine patients were performed without prophylactic antibiotics (PA). These patients underwent embolization with cross-linked collagen alone or with low-dose cisplatinum. All of the remaining 480 procedures in 227 patients were performed with PA.


RESULTS
One of the nine patients (11%) who did not receive PA experienced fatal sepsis within 24 hours of HCE. Of the 227 patients who did receive antibiotics, six (2.6%) developed hepatic abscess and no fatal sepsis was encountered.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of PA decreases the prevalence of infectious complications following HCE.
Reed
R A
RA
Department of Radiology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
Teitelbaum
G P
GP
Daniels
J R
JR
Pentecost
M J
MJ
Katz
M D
MD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003094:Collagen / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008100:Liver Abscess / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011292:Premedication; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C075104:Angiostat; D003094:Collagen