Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis for pulmonary lobectomy and segmentectomy

Abstract

A retrospective study comparing pre-/intra-operative and postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis was performed for patients who had undergone pulmonary lobectomy and segmentectomy. The JSS group (n=72) received 2nd-generation cephem or penicillin at 1g every 12 hours after the operation for 3-4 days. The CDC group (n=82) received cefazolin at 1g at 30 minutes before the operation and 1g every 3 hours during the operation. The total administration dose was 9.3g in the JSS group and 2.9g in the CDC group. The overall rate of infection did not differ between the JSS group (12.5%) and CDC group (13.4%). The most frequent infection was pneumonia. Surgical site infection did not occur. Two sepses were noted only in the CDC group. No significant intergroup difference was found concerning the clinical characteristics, pathogens from the infection site, and the perioperative circulating white blood cell counts and C-reactive protein levels. The prophylactic effect on postoperative infection was equal in both groups. Postoperative antibiotic administration can be recommended for elderly patients with comorbidity to prevent postoperative sepsis.