[Systemic mezlocillin prophylaxis in elective colon surgery]

A prospective randomized, controlled study comprising 100 patients was performed to evaluate the effect of mezlocillin given prophylactically in elective colon surgery. Fifty-two patients were treated and 48 served as controls. Both groups were well-matched for age, sex, disease and surgical procedure. 2 g of mezlocillin were given intravenously before surgery and then every eight hours until the fifth postoperative day. The concentrations of mezlocillin in serum and tissues were determined in 20 patients and related to the MICs of the contaminants and the bacteria isolated postoperatively. A significantly lower incidence of intra-abdominal complications, peritonitis, urinary tract infections and wound infections was found in the mezlocillin group (10%) than in the controls (46%). The average number of postoperative hospital days decreased significantly from 23 days in the control group to 19 days in the mezlocillin group. The analysis of the bacteriological results gave no indication of a selection of resistant strains due to the prophylactic use of mezlocillin. No side-effects were found in connection with mezlocillin prophylaxis.