Metronidazole prophylaxis for elective large bowel surgery in children: a prospective trial

In a controlled trial in children aged 2 days to 16 years undergoing large bowel surgery a group of 15 patients had preoperative mechanical bowel preparation and oral neomycin while a second group of 15 patients was similarly prepared but also had preoperative and postoperative metronidazole medication. Five of the 9 postoperative infections in the first group involved Bacteroides spp. but no anaerobe was found in the 3 wound infections in the metronidazole group.