Comparative efficacy of prophylactic cephalothin and cefamandole for elective colon surgery: results of a prospective, randomized, double-blind study.

Thirty-four patients undergoing elective colon resection or anastomosis received either intravenous cephalothin or cefamandole prophylactically and were observed for evidence of intraabdominal or wound infection, or both, postoperatively. The infection rates were 31 and 33 per cent, respectively. Infections were caused predominantly by cephalosporin resistant aerobes and anaerobes. All four bacteremias were caused by members of the B. fragilis group. The overall infection rate (32 per cent) and the frequency of anaerobic bacteremia (12 per cent) observed in this study were much higher than previously reported after cephalosporin prophylaxis for colorectal surgery.