Single-dose cephalosporin prophylaxis of 929 surgical procedures in a prepaid group practice: a prospective, randomized comparison of cefoperazone and cefotaxime.

In this report, we summarize 929 surgical cases (812 evaluable) receiving preoperatively prophylaxis with either cefoperazone (1 g), or cefotaxime (1 g). The patients were randomized to one of the two single-dose cephalosporin regimens and by operative procedure groups that included hysterectomies, genitourinary procedures, gastrointestinal operations, and the "other procedures" category that was dominated by orthopedic cases, such as total joint replacements and open fracture reductions. The postoperative wound infectious morbidity rates were: cefoperazone 2.2% and cefotaxime 3.0% (overall rate, 2.6%). Most wound infections were superficial, with more than half discovered after patient discharge and unrelated to the surgical prophylaxis. The wound infections associated with colorectal surgery cases given a single-dose of cefoperazone were twofold higher than the control regimen. Non-wound infectious morbidity was 5.8% (p greater than 0.05) for cefoperazone, mostly urinary tract infections causes by Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus spp. Side effects were not considered severe and occurred at a very low rate. Abnormally elevated prothrombin times of patients receiving cefoperazone were not any more frequent than the control regimens. The two prophylaxis regimens were not different statistically (p greater than 0.05) as to the infectious morbidity or adverse reactions. By using either studied single-dose schedule in our prepaid group practice setting, compared with the previously used multi-dose schedules, we could predict an annualized cost savings of $50,000 (cefazolin) and greater than $200,000 (cefoxitin). We propose a single 1-g dose of cefoperazone or cefotaxime (FDA approved) as a cost-effective prophylaxis alternative.