Abstract
Effectiveness of prophylactic administration of cefmetazole (CMZ)(A) for postoperative infection was compared with that of cephalothin (B) using patients undergoing resection of gastric cancers or colorectal cancers as subjects in cooperation with 19 major hospitals in the Tohoku districts. Using the envelope method, each hospital allocated, at random, patients with each organ removed into groups A and B. Either drug was administrated at 4g/day (in 2 divided doses) for 7 days. Registered patients with gastric cancers amounted to 114 in group A and 113 in group B; those with colorectal cancers were 63 each in groups A and B. As to background factors, advanced cancers were found more in group A with gastric cancers, and operations took more time on the average in this group; however, there were no significant differences in other factors between the 2 groups with gastric cancers and in the all factors between A and B groups with colorectal cancers. Rates of ineffective prophylaxis judged by physicians in charge were 3.9% and 21.0%, respectively, in groups A and B with gastric cancers, and 5.0% and 20.7%, respectively, in groups A and B with colorectal cancers. Rates of ineffective prophylaxis determined by committees were 16.7% and 31.0% among the former, and 8.3% and 29.3% among the latter, respectively. Ineffectiveness rates in group A with gastric cancers or colorectal cancers were significantly lower in all the evaluations, and CMZ was, therefore, comfirmed to have stronger efficacy.
