This Article
Right arrow Full Text Free
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Letters to the Editor: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Letters to the Editor are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Rights and Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by KNAPP, T. P.
Right arrow Articles by REISCH, R. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by KNAPP, T. P.
Right arrow Articles by REISCH, R. B.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Facebook   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 78:1167-71 (1996)
© 1996 The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Comparison of Intravenous and Oral Antibiotic Therapy in the Treatment of Fractures Caused by Low-Velocity Gunshots. A Prospective, Randomized Study of Infection Rates*

THOMAS P. KNAPP, M.D.{dagger}, MICHAEL J. PATZAKIS, M.D.{ddagger}, JACKSON LEE, M.D.{ddagger}, PETER R. SEIPEL, M.D.{ddagger}, KARIM ABDOLLAHI, M.D.{ddagger} and ROBERT B. REISCH, M.D.{ddagger}, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Investigation performed at the Orthopaedic Trauma Service, Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles

One hundred and ninety consecutive patients (222 fractures) who had an extra-articular fracture of a long bone as a result of a low-velocity gunshot were randomized into two groups on the basis of the method of administration of antibiotics. Group 1 consisted of 101 patients (120 fractures) who were managed with intravenous administration of cephapirin sodium and gentamicin for three days. Group 2 comprised eighty-nine patients (102 fractures) who were managed with oral administration of ciprofloxacin for three days. The two groups were comparable in terms of the age of the patient, the locations of the fractures, and the time from the injury to the commencement of antibiotic therapy. Injuries that needed operative débridement or fixation were excluded. All patients were followed until the fracture had healed. Two infections developed in two of the ninety-nine patients (118 fractures) who completed the study in Group 1, and two infections developed in two of the eighty-seven patients (100 fractures) who completed the study in Group 2. With the numbers available, there was no significant difference in the rates of infection (2 per cent for both) between the two groups. All four fractures that were complicated by infection were located in the distal half of the tibia. We concluded that oral and intravenous administration of antibiotics were equally effective for prophylaxis against infection after an extra-articular fracture from a low-velocity gunshot.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 TraumaHome page
C. Whitfield and J.P. Garner
The early management of gunshot wounds Part II: the abdomen, extremities and special situations
Trauma, January 1, 2007; 9(1): 47 - 71.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J Am Acad Orthop SurgHome page
P. D. Holtom
Antibiotic Prophylaxis: Current Recommendations
J. Am. Acad. Ortho. Surg., September 1, 2006; 14(10): S98 - S100.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Am Acad Orthop SurgHome page
C. G. Zalavras and M. J. Patzakis
Open Fractures: Evaluation and Management
J. Am. Acad. Ortho. Surg., May 1, 2003; 11(3): 212 - 219.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Am Acad Orthop SurgHome page
C. S. Bartlett, D. L. Helfet, M. R. Hausman, and E. Strauss
Ballistics and Gunshot Wounds: Effects on Musculoskeletal Tissues
J. Am. Acad. Ortho. Surg., January 1, 2000; 8(1): 21 - 36.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]