Comparative study of ceftriaxone and cefuroxime for perioperative prophylaxis in orthopedic surgery

The results of perioperative prophylaxis with either ceftriaxone or cefuroxime have been compared in a nonrandomized trial in 60 patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. A 2 g dose of ceftriaxone was given intravenously 15 minutes before surgery and repeated 24 hours after surgery in 29 patients. One patient with renal insufficiency received 1 g doses of ceftriaxone. The other 30 patients received a 1.5 g dose of cefuroxime given intravenously 15 minutes before surgery and repeated every 6 hours for 48 hours after surgery. In one of the 30 patients given cefuroxime, a postoperative infection due to Staph. aureus developed in association with a hematoma, which resolved after surgical debridement and drainage; treatment was continued with cefuroxime. No postoperative infection developed in any of the patients who received ceftriaxone. Both antibiotics were well tolerated locally and systemically.