[Laparoscopic appendectomy as a routine procedure]

At the Gynaecology Department of the Bethesda Hospital, 100 patients undergoing a laparoscopic appendectomy were recruited for a prospective study. The first ten patients received no antibiotic, the second ten were given a three-day course of cephazolin, the third ten were treated with a combination of sulbactam and ampicillin and the remaining 70 received cefuroxime. There were no significant differences between the four groups in the mean operating time, the intraoperative complication rate or in the degree of inflammation as classified by the histological examination. The reduced rate of postoperative complications defined as pyrexia > 38 degrees C, elevated WBC and peritoneal irritation for more than two days, showed the advantage of antibiotic prophylaxis with cefuroxime with respect to single parameters and overall complication rates. There were no intraoperative or severe postoperative complications.