[Perioperative preventive use of antibiotics in thoracic surgery--results of a controlled randomized study with...

There seems to be general agreement that antibiotic prophylaxis should be provided for patients undergoing resections of the lung. In order to obtain further information about the extent of resection beyond which this is necessary, and also to establish the type of prophylaxis that is meaningful over the long term, we carried out a controlled study involving two groups of 100 patients each. In the first group, who received minor resections, ultrashort-term prophylaxis was compared with an 0 group. We were able to show that in high-risk patients with prior pulmonary diseases, prophylaxis is indeed meaningful. In the second group of patients undergoing major resections, antibiotic prophylaxis must be provided; a one-day administration suffices, and long-term administration fails to offer any further advantages.