The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 75, Issue 1 61-65, Copyright © 1993 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Antibiotic prophylaxis with two doses of cephalosporin in patients managed with internal fixation for a fracture of the hip
A Bodoky, U Neff, M Heberer and F Harder
Department of Surgery, University of Basel, Switzerland.
A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was performed to evaluate the
effects of antibiotic prophylaxis on the development of a wound infection
in 239 patients who had immediate stabilization of a fracture of the
proximal part of the femur with a dynamic hip screw. The effects of two
perioperative doses of cefotiam, given twelve hours apart, were compared
with those of two doses of a placebo. Sixteen perioperative risk factors
were evaluated to determine whether it was possible to identify patients
who were at risk for a wound infection. All patients were followed for a
minimum of six weeks. Antibiotic prophylaxis significantly reduced the
prevalence of wound infection (p < 0.05): the rate of major wound
infection decreased from 5 to 1 per cent and the rate of minor wound
infection, from 11 to 4 per cent. The most powerful predictors of major
wound infection were the duration of the operation, the interval between
the accident and admission to the hospital, and the duration of
postoperative urinary catheterization. The preoperative level of serum
albumin and the absolute lymphocyte count were significant predictors (p
< 0.05) of minor wound infection and systemic infection, respectively.