[Effectiveness of pre-operative antibiotic prevention in hysterectomies and cesarean section].

All controlled studies which were available by computer search from the literature were evaluated regarding the efficiency of preventive antibiotics for post-operative infections following hysterectomies and Cesarian sections. All controlled studies were evaluated by identical criteria. In 41 out of 46 studies (89.1%) on vaginal hysterectomies, febrile morbidity showed a significant decrease. In abdominal hysterectomies, 15 of 26 studies (57.7%) and in Cesarian sections 47 of 53 studies (88.7%) showed a significant decrease. Following vaginal hysterectomies and Cesarian sections, the preventive antibiotics decreased the febrile morbidity by 26 or 26.9 percentage points and pelvic or uterine infections by about 20 percentage points. In abdominal hysterectomies, the decrease was only 10.4 or 4.4 percentage points. Cesarian sections after the onset of labour and or rupture of the membranes have a high risk of infection and show the best decrease of febrile morbidity following preventive antibiotics.