The Value of Prophylactic Antibiotics in Transurethral Prostatic Resection: a Controlled Trial, with Observations on the Origin of Postoperative Infection

Summary Prophylactic antibiotics significantly decrease the incidence of urinary tract infection following endoscopic prostate resection. They are ineffective in reducing the incidence of postoperative fevers, or in reducing the frequency of positive blood cultures during or after operation. A majority of prostate glands harbour colonies of potentially pathogenic organisms, and these are the commonest source of infection of the urinary tract following release by prostatic surgery. The assistance of Sister Heather Lye in collecting data contained in this paper is gratefully acknowledged.