Ceftazidime in antibiotic prophylaxis for emergency cesarean section: a randomized prospective study.

The efficacy of two randomized antibiotic prophylactic schedules with ceftazidime (group A: single preoperative 2 g intramuscular dose; group B: 3 perioperative 1 g intramuscular doses every 6 h) was evaluated in 200 pregnant women undergoing cesarean section. Postoperative complications were observed in 9 cases (4 in group A and 5 in group B; p = NS). Analysis of possible risk factors revealed 1) a relationship between postoperative morbidity and overweight (body mass index above 30) in group A only; 2) a possible contributory effect of duration of labor (more than 6 h) in group A; and 3) a possible effect of duration of rupture of the membranes (more than 6 h) in group B only. The results obtained lead to the conclusion that single-dose prophylaxis with ceftazidime is as effective as short-term 3-dose ceftazidime prophylaxis in preventing post-cesarean complications.