[Preventive antibiotic treatment in cases of complicated injuries of the extremities. A questionnaire study].

A questionnaire about prophylactic antibiotic treatment of open bone, tendon or joint lesions in the extremities was sent to the 83 casualty departments in Denmark. The questionnaire was answered by 56 casualty departments which treated 72% of the orthopaedic surgical injuries in Denmark. In cases of lesions of the hands and feet, 23% of the patients were treated in casualty departments where prophylactic antibiotic therapy was rarely employed while 24% were treated in casualty departments where prophylactic antibiotic therapy was always employed. In cases of lesions proximal to the wrist or ankle joints, the figures were 26% and 38%, respectively. Penicillin was nearly always employed and treatment was commenced before or during operation. The majority of departments continued treatment for four days or longer. Considerable scatter was reported in the dosage of penicillin employed. The literature about prophylactic antibiotic treatment in cases of complicated lesions of the extremities is insufficient and controlled investigations are necessary to elucidate a series of conditions.