Do pre-operative antibiotics reach the operative field in amputation surgery for peripheral vascular disease? A pilot...

Amputation surgery in patients with peripheral vascular disease is associated with high revision and mortality rates. A prospective pilot study examined the intra-operative delivery of cefoxitin sodium to the amputation site, and used pre-operative transcutaneous oxygen pressure measurement to try to predict the tissue antibiotic levels at the amputation site. Antibiotic concentrations were measured in plasma and muscle from the amputation site at the time of amputation, and a significant difference in antibiotic distribution was found between healed and failed amputations. Transcutaneous oxygen pressures correlated with the antibiotic distribution.