Selected overview of nongynecologic surgical intra-abdominal infections. Prophylaxis and therapy

Pharmaceutical Cost Comparison Analysis of Antimicrobial Use for Surgical Prophylaxis on Gastrectomy Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

The present study investigated the clinical effects and therapeutic cost of cefazolin (CEZ) and ampicillin/sulbactam (SBT/ABPC) compared to analyze cost-effectiveness for surgical prophylaxis in gastric cancer patients. 157 inpatients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer were investigated. There was no difference between the two groups with regard to sex, age, incidence of complication, stage of cancer, operative time and blood loss, length of hospitalization, the appearance of systematic inflammatory responses syndrome and the prophylactic effect of infection. Meanwhile, decision analysis indicated that the anticipated therapeutic cost per patient in CEZ group was less than that of SBT/ABPC group (USD 142.72 and USD 187.17, respectively). In this case, CEZ use was more cost-effective, insofar as only drug cost was considered.

The efficacy of prophylactic intravenous antibiotics in elective foot and ankle surgery

A retrospective chart review of 555 patients who received elective foot and ankle surgeries between 1995 and 2001 at 1 outpatient podiatric hospital clinic was performed to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative intravenous antibiotic use. Only those patients who were having elective foot or ankle surgery for the first time, were being followed up at the hospital's outpatient clinic, and had a nontraumatic cause for their surgery were included in this study. A wound was considered infected when purulent material from the wound sites was noted and an organism(s) was cultured. A wound complication was defined as a superficial dehiscence, edema, erythema, or stitch abscess. Three hundred six (55.1%) patients received a preoperative antibiotic and 249 (44.9%) patients did not. Of the 306 patients who received a preoperative antibiotic, 9 (1.6%) acquired a postoperative wound infection, whereas 8 (1.4%) of the 249 patients who did not receive preoperative antibiotics acquired a postoperative infection. A logistic regression model and chi square tests of association were used to determine if preoperative antibiotic use, age, gender, type of surgical procedure, operative time, tourniquet use, past medical history, and internal fixation were predictive of or associated with postoperative wound infection or complication. None of the study factors was predictive of postoperative wound infection or complication (P >.01). Preoperative antibiotic use was associated with surgical category and internal fixation use (P <.001) but not postoperative wound infection or complication (P >.01). The results suggest that prophylactic intravenous antibiotic use in routine elective foot and ankle surgery is not warranted.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of intravenous pefloxacin for antibiotic prophylaxis in biliary surgery

The plasma levels and tissue penetration of pefloxacin were studied after prophylactic administration to patients undergoing elective biliary surgery. Pefloxacin was administered as a single dose of 800 mg given intravenously as an infusion 1 h before surgery. Over a period of two years, cultures of bile and stone were performed after cholecystectomy in order to find the main pathogens present in the geographical area of the hospital of Txagorritxu (Vitoria, Spain), as well as to test the antimicrobial susceptibility of these bacteria to pefloxacin. Thirty seven per cent of the bile and stone cultures were positive, and 75 different species were isolated. E. coli was the predominant microorganism (25%). Other frequent microorganisms were E. faecium (9.3%), S. epidermidis (6.6%) and Cl. perfringens (6.6%). Most species isolated were susceptible to pefloxacin, with MIC(90) values of 0.125 microg/ml for E. coli, 0.5 microg/ml for S. epidermidis and 1 microg/ml for Cl. perfringens. E. faecium was resistant, with a MIC(90) value of 8 microg/ml but a MIC(50) of 4 microg/ml (intermediate). After pefloxacin infusion, adequate drug plasma levels (>MIC(90)) for the most frequent pathogens were found throughout the procedure. Elimination half-life was estimated as 22.03+/-6.91 h; the area under the concentration-time curve from zero to infinite had a value of 275.07+/-130.02 mg h/l and the values for volume of distribution at steady-state and plasma clearance were 96.48+/-28.65 L and 3.60+/-1.83 l/h, respectively. Bile pefloxacin concentrations generally exceeded the minimum inhibitory concentrations for most relevant pathogens. Drug levels in gallbladder and subcutaneous tissues were also above the MIC(90) for extended periods. Patients were observed daily throughout their hospital stay. This included examination of the surgical wound and recording of body temperature. No cases of anaerobic infection were noted in the study patients. Other constants such as hospitalization stay and time of recuperation were normal for this type of surgery. According to these results, pefloxacin presents many features that make it suitable for use as a therapeutic prophylactic agent, such as its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and favorable pharmacokinetic properties.

Role of quinolones in surgical prophylaxis

The general principles involved in the use of chemoprophylaxis in surgery, the selection of patients at risk, and the choice of antibiotic agents are reasonably well established. While a good deal of data exist regarding commonly used prophylactic regimens, very little data are available on the role of quinolones in surgical prophylaxis. The literature dealing with this area is reviewed, and studies on the use of quinolones in biliary, colorectal, urologic, orthopedic and vascular surgery are discussed. The data suggest that generally the quinolones are as efficacious as the other antibiotics with which they were compared, and in the case of urologic surgery the results using quinolones were better than those in non-treated controls. Single-dose prophylaxis was regularly shown to be as effective as multiple dose regimens. Further clinical trial data are necessary before any firm conclusions can be drawn regarding the role of quinolones in surgical prophylaxis.

Prophylactic antibiotics for surgery

This article discusses the determination of surgical patients to be given antibiotic prophylaxis. In addition, current concepts regarding selection of antibiotic prophylaxis necessary for a variety of surgical procedures are reviewed.