Abstract
A prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled clinical trial was undertaken to compare two different prophylactic antibiotic single-dose regimens in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Timentin, a combination of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid, was administered intravenously (3.1 g) to 87 patients. Mezlocillin, a semisynthetic penicillin was given intravenously (2.0 g) to 98 patients. The wound infection rate was 10.6 percent in patients receiving Timentin and 9.7 percent in those receiving mezlocillin (P>.05). Multivariate analysis of factors possibly affecting the wound infection rate showed that the presence of a colostomy preoperatively, fecal contamination at surgery, and the surgical group were the only factors that independently achieved a statistically significant association with the development of a postoperative wound infection in this trial (P<.0001).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baum ML, Anish DS, Chalmers TC, et al. A survey of clinical trials of antibiotics prophylaxis in colon surgery: evidence against further use of no treatment controls. N Engl J Med 1981;305:795–9.
University of Melbourne Colorectal Group. Clinical trial of prophylaxis of wound sepsis in elective colorectal surgery— cephamandole with tinidazole versus tinidazole alone. Med J Aust 1983;2:440–3.
University of Melbourne Colorectal Group. Clinical trial of prophylaxis of wound sepsis in elective colorectal surgery comparing ticarcillin with tinidazole. Aust NZ J Surg 1986;56:209–13.
University of Melbourne Colorectal Group. Systemic Timentin® is superior to oral tinidazole for antibiotic prophylaxis in elective colorectal surgery. Dis Colon Rectum 1987;30:786–789.
Di Piro JT, Cheung RP, Bowden TA Jr, Mansberger JA. Single dose systemic antibiotic prophylaxis of surgical wound infections. Am J Surg 1986;152:552–9.
Blair JE, McLeod RS, Cohen Z, Devlin HR. Ticarcillin/clavulanic acid (Timentin®) compared to metronidazole/netilmicin in preventing postoperative infection after elective colorectal surgery. Can J Surg 1987;30:120–2.
Bodey GP. Mezlocillin: in vitro studies of a new broad spectrum penicillin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1977;11:1174–9.
Stubbs RS, Griggs NJ, Kelleher JP, et al. Single dose mezlocillin versus three dose cefuroxime plus metronidazole for the prophylaxis of wound infection after large bowel surgery. J Hosp Infect 1987;9:285–90.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Consortia
Additional information
Supported by Beecham Research Laboratories and Bayer Australia Ltd.
Members participating in trial: Mr. A. R. McLeish (Chairman), Mr. B. Waxman (Secretary), Mr. H. Ross (Trial Coordinator), Dr. J. H. Andrew, Professor R. C. Bennett, Mr. P. Carson, Mr. J. P. Collins, Mr. B. T. Collopy, Mr. A. M. Cuthbertson, Mr. H. Ewing Mr. R. L. W. Fink, Mr. D. M. Francis, Dr. K. Harvey, Mr. R. T. Judson, Professor G. A. Kune, Mr. J. R. Mackay, Mr. K. J. Millar, Mr. J. C. B. Penfold, Mr. A. E. Read, Mr. P. J. Ryan, Mr. A. Sali, Dr. F. A. Tosolini.
About this article
Cite this article
University of Melbourne Colorectal Group. A comparison of single-dose systemic timentin® with mezlocillin for prophylaxis of wound infection in elective colorectal surgery. Dis Colon Rectum 32, 940–943 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02552269
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02552269