One hundred and thirty unselected patients undergoing appendicectomy were treated with topical ampicillin powder or topical placebo powder (lactose) before closing the wound. The postoperative wound infection rates were 3% in the ampicillin-treated group and 24% in the control group, a significant difference. This difference was not influenced by the degree of inflammation in the appendix. No side-effects of treatment were observed.
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Rickett et al. (1969) studied this question.
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