Kinetics of cefuroxime in the groin wound after vascular prosthetic implantation.

The kinetics of cefuroxime in serum and wound fluid were investigated in the period after vascular prosthetic implantation. Cefuroxime was administered as intravenous bolus injections in doses of 0.75 gm (five patients) or 1.5 gm (five patients). The concentration of cefuroxime in wound fluid increased after the injection and reached a maximal level corresponding to serum concentration levels with 1.5 hours. The subsequent elimination of cefuroxime from the wound fluid closely paralleled the elimination from the serum. The wound fluid concentrations were found to be greater than the minimum inhibitory concentration for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in 8 and 5 hours, respectively, after injection of 0.75 gm of cefuroxime, and in 11 and 7 hours, respectively, after injection of 1.5 gm of cefuroxime.