Short-term antibiotic prophylaxis in open urologic surgery

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of a single dose of ceftriaxone with a triple dose of gentamicin as prophylactic agents in patients undergoing open urologic surgery. Fifty-two patients were allocated into two groups which were well matched with respect to sex, age and surgical procedure: --24 were given single-dose ceftriaxone (2 g i.v.) at the time of anesthesia (ceftriaxone group); --28 received gentamicin (80 mg i.v.) at the time of anesthesia and two additional doses of the same antibiotic were subsequently administrated every 8 hours (gentamicin group). The incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) was 3.5% in the gentamicin group and 0% in the ceftriaxone group (p = n.s.); postoperative fever (greater than 38 degrees C) occurred in 28.3% and 8.3% in the gentamicin and ceftriaxone groups respectively (p = n.s.). There was no clinical or hematological evidence of drug side effects in any patient. Results of the study show that short-term antibiotic regimens can improve UTI rates after open urologic surgery; moreover a single preoperative dose of ceftriaxone resulted to be as effective as three doses of gentamicin.