Antimicrobial prophylaxis in elective colon surgery

An 11 year study of 1,035 elective colon resections reaffirmed the value of oral antibiotic prophylaxis. Five antibiotic regimens were used in 88 percent of the patients. The most effective and most frequently used regimen was the combination of parenteral cephalosporin with oral erythromycin and an aminoglycoside. The overall infection rate with this regimen was 11 percent and the wound sepsis rate was 2.5 percent. The use of parenteral cephalosporins alone was not effective. Furthermore, resistant bacteria were cultured from the wound infections of parenteral cephalosporin patients. A nondirective annual review of these data and each surgeon's infection rate resulted in a change in the antibiotic ordering practices and decreased infection rates. It is no longer acceptable surgical practice to omit antibiotic prophylaxis in colon operations.