[Comparison of amoxicillin and cefamandole in the prevention of bronchopulmonary infections in pulmonary surgery. A randomized double-blind study].

Antibiotic prophylaxis is currently recommended in clean-contamined surgery (type II of Altemeier classification). Pulmonary surgery belongs to this type. This prospective randomized and controlled study was designed to compare amoxicillin and cefamandole for prevention of pleural and bronchopulmonary infections after pulmonary resections. It included 256 patients, admitted between October 1st 1989 and July 1st 1991, for elective thoracotomy and probable pulmonary resection. The patients were allocated into two groups, group A (amoxicillin) and group C (cefamandole). The first intravenous antibiotic injection took place immediately after induction of anaesthesia (1 g of amoxicillin or 1.5 g of cefamandole). Postoperative injections were performed every 6 hours during 36 hours (i.e. a total of 6 injections). Infection was defined by the association of general signs including hyperthermia (> 38 degrees C), hyperleucocytosis (> 12,000/mm3), and local signs such as bronchitis (B), pneumonia (P), empyema (E), wound sepsis (W) and non thoracic infection (S). Follow-up included the hospital stay and a period of eight months after surgery for possible rehospitalisation for infection. Respiratory infections (bronchitis n = 35, pneumonia n = 5, empyema n = 2) occurred in 18% of the total population. No difference was seen between the two groups concerning the type of infection and the repartition of infection in relation to the type of pulmonary surgery. The causative bacterial organisms were Haemophilus influenzae (n = 4), Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 2), Escherichia coli (n = 1), anaerobic bacteria (n = 1). Multiple bacteria were found in one case. The empyema and wound sepsis occurred in the amoxicillin group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)