[Use of cephalosporins in surgical patients]

A clinical and bacteriological evaluation of antibiotic therapy in surgical sepsis is performed on two groups of patients examined in 1979 and 1980 with particular regard to use of cephalosporins. In the first group have been administered cephalosporins not beta-lactamase resistant, tetracyclines, chloramphenicol and aminoglycosides on the basis of antimicrobial susceptibility testing; in the cases of urinary tract infections nitrofurans and nalidixic acid were also employed. In the second group the chemotherapy has been performed with beta-lactamase resistant cephalosporins only or associated with aminoglycosides. The results of this study suggest that the use of beta-lactamase resistant cephalosporins may be clinically advantageous, but the incidence of bacterial selection and resistances may avoided with a constant vigilance and bacteriological screening.