The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Cefamandole versus cefonicid prophylaxis in cardiovascular surgery: a prospective study.
We randomized 400 patients who were scheduled for an elective cardiovascular operation involving median sternotomy to receive cefamandole nafate or cefonicid in a prospective double-blind study. Three hundred fifty-seven patients were evaluable for prophylactic efficacy. ⋯ Twenty-five miscellaneous postoperative infections (urinary tract infection, pneumonia, intravenous site infection, bacteremia, sepsis, Clostridium difficile diarrhea) occurred in 16 patients (9.19%) in the cefonicid group and four in 4 patients (2.19%) in the cefamandole group (p = 0.003). These data indicate that cefamandole is superior to cefonicid in preventing both surgical wound infections and miscellaneous nonsurgical infections after cardiovascular operations.