The effect of prophylactic ampicillin on pelvic infection following vaginal hysterectomy.

One hundred patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy at the University of Kentucky Medical Center were given prophylactic ampicillin and compared to one hundred control patients. The use of prophylactic ampicillin caused significant reduction in both postoperative pelvic infection and hospital stay. However, two patients in the prophylactic antibiotic group later required readmission for infections resistant to ampicillin. Prophylactic antibiotics are beneficial in vaginal hysterectomy, but careful follow-up of all patients is mandatory.