Comparative study of cefotetan and cefoxitin in the treatment of intra-abdominal infections

One hundred eighty-eight patients were enrolled in a multicenter, randomized clinical trial to compare the safety and effectiveness of 1 to 2 gm cefotetan every 12 hours with those of 1 to 2 gm cefoxitin every 6 hours in patients with intra-abdominal infections. Most of the infections were community acquired, were associated with gastrointestinal tract perforation, and were caused by both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. The median duration of therapy was 6 days for each group. The clinical response rate for the 95 evaluable patients in the cefotetan group was 98%, and that for the 43 evaluable patients in the cefoxitin group was 95%. Bacteriologically, 97% of the 58 evaluable patients in the cefotetan group and 89% of the 27 evaluable patients in the cefoxitin group had a satisfactory or presumed satisfactory response; two patients in the cefotetan group and three in the cefoxitin group were considered bacteriologic failures. Cefotetan was as effective as cefoxitin in eradicating Bacteroides fragilis and other species of Bacteroides, Clostridium sp., and gram-negative bacilli. The incidence of treatment-related adverse reactions for cefotetan (27%) was not statistically different from that for cefoxitin (17%). No clinically significant differences were detected between the treatment groups in changes in the results of clinical laboratory tests performed before and after treatment; a decrease in hematocrit among the cefotetan group was statistically greater (p = 0.04) than that for the cefoxitin group, and a decrease in serum creatinine level for the cefoxitin group was greater than that for the cefotetan group (p = 0.02). Cefotetan may represent an effective, safe, and cost-saving alternative to cefoxitin for the prompt treatment of community-acquired intra-abdominal infections.