Antibiotics in surgery of the colon.

In a randomized prospective study of patients undergoing elective colonic surgery the postoperative wound infection rate was 13% (early, 10%) in patients receiving systemic cephaloridine perioperatively and 12% (early, 7.3%) in those given oral neomycin and erythromycin base preoperatively. Wound infections were more frequent in patients with severe lymphopenia or hypoalbuminemia preoperatively, but the potential degree of wound contamination was the main determinant of postoperative infection.