[Preventive use of single dose antibiotics in acute appendicitis. Results of a prospective randomized clinical study].

A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed to determine the efficiency of single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing septic complications after appendectomy. The infection rate increased significantly in the control group without antibiotic prophylaxis (9.3% to 20.3%). Older patients with severe appendicitis had more advantages from the prophylaxis than younger ones. We have suggested to perform antibiotic prophylaxis individually only in those patients with high risk of septic complications after appendectomy.