Prophylaxis and treatment of infections complicating abdominal surgery.

The suitability of commonly used antimicrobial regimens for prophylaxis in abdominal surgery and treatment of intra-abdominal sepsis is discussed. These various therapies are often limited in their usefulness by the range of microorganisms against which they are effective and thus, to extend the antimicrobial cover, agents may be combined. Some forms of therapy may produce adverse effects in susceptible patients, thus limiting their use to certain groups, or there may be cost constraints. Beta-lactamase-inhibiting compounds appear to offer an optimal combination of a broad spectrum of activity against aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms, minimal toxicity and reasonable cost.