Clinical efficacy of perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis in neurosurgery--a prospective randomized study...

In a randomized study 87 patients received perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis with 2 x 2 g ceftriaxone (Rocephin) at the beginning of the operation and in the following morning. Seventy-two patients received no antibiotic prophylaxis. In patients receiving the prophylaxis, a lower incidence of infections was observed postoperatively in addition to a reduction in wound-healing disorders. Respiratory tract infections were more successfully prevented than urinary tract infections. The number of pathogenic bacteria detected in the group on receiving prophylaxis decreased. The positive effect of the perioperative administration of antibiotics was more evident in protracted operations, such as brain surgery, than in operations involving the spinal cord.