Prophylactic lincomycin in the prevention of wound infection following appendicectomy: a double blind study

The prophylactic use of a single dose of lincomycin in 100 patients undergoing appendicectomy reduced the incidence of postoperative wound infection from 17 to 6 per cent compared with a similar group of control patients. There was no correlation with the histological finding in the appendix, but patients with perforated appendicitis were excluded from the study. Bacteriological examination of the appendix area before surgery showed that Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli were the organisms most frequently isolated. The majority of wound infections were due to B. fragilis, either alone or in association with aerobic organisms, but infection due to E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus also occurred. Systemic antibiotic therapy can successfully reduce the complications following appendicectomy but it is necessary to use a compound with activity against anaerobic organisms.