Preoperative antibiotic preparation with neomycin and tetracycline resulted in significantly fewer patients with postoperative wound sepsis compared to neomycin alone or placebo (P < 0.01).
RCT (n=196)
Double-blind
Does preoperative antibiotic preparation with neomycin and tetracycline reduce postoperative wound sepsis in patients undergoing elective intestinal surgery?
Preoperative preparation with a combination of neomycin and tetracycline significantly reduces postoperative wound sepsis compared to neomycin alone or placebo in patients undergoing elective intestinal surgery.
p-value: p=< 0.01
A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was performed to compare preoperative antibiotic preparation with neomycin (group 1), neomycin and tetracycline (group 2), and placebo (group 3) in patients undergoing elective intestinal surgery. The 196 patients were approximately equally distributed among the three study groups, which proved similar to each other in terms of age, sex, diagnosis, site of lesion, and operative procedure. There were significantly (P < 0.01) fewer patients with postoperative wound sepsis in the neomycin-tetracycline group (group 2) than in either of the two other groups. Postoperative wound infection rates in groups 1 and 3 were nearly identical. Most infections contained both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Eight of nine episodes of septicemia due to Bacteroides fragilis occurred in patients in groups 1 and 3.
WASHINGTON et al. (Tue,) conducted a rct in elective intestinal surgery (n=196). neomycin and tetracycline vs. neomycin alone or placebo was evaluated on postoperative wound sepsis (p=< 0.01). Preoperative antibiotic preparation with neomycin and tetracycline resulted in significantly fewer patients with postoperative wound sepsis compared to neomycin alone or placebo (P < 0.01).