[Enoxacin concentrations in serum and in the wall of the colon during colorectal surgery].

For successful prophylaxis of postoperative infections in colorectal surgery the administered antibiotic must reach sufficiently high concentrations in plasma and gut wall. Therefore, in ten patients receiving 400 mg enoxacin orally about 2 h prior to operation (in addition to their routine perioperative intravenous prophylaxis with amoxicillin and clavulanic acid) concentrations of enoxacin were determined by HPLC in plasma (samples were taken at the beginning of operation, time of tissue sampling and each hour during the operation) and in gut wall. We found the following plasma concentrations (mean +/- S.D.): beginning of operation 2.53 ( +/- 1.07) mg/l, 1 h later 2.08 ( +/- 0.82) mg/l, 2 h later 1.60 ( +/- 0.65) mg/l. At the time of tissue sampling (on an average 185 min after the enoxacin dose) the plasma concentration was 2.27 ( +/- 1.02) mg/l, the gut wall concentration was 3.74 ( +/- 1.58) mg/kg, the ratio between the two concentrations was 1.70 ( +/- 0.27). It seems warranted to study orally administered enoxacin (in combination with an antibiotic against anaerobes) in prophylaxis of infections after colorectal surgery.