Prophylactic mezlocillin in radical hysterectomy.

The role of prophylactic antibiotics in radical hysterectomy patients was studied in a double-blind randomized prospective study of mezlocillin (Mezlin, Miles Pharmaceuticals), a broad-spectrum semisynthetic penicillin, compared to placebo. Thirty evaluable patients received 4 g mezlocillin or saline placebo intravenously one-half hour before surgery, a second dose four to six hours later, and a final dose six hours after that. The rate of wound infection, postoperative use of additional antibiotics, fever index, and the incidence of standard febrile morbidity were all significantly lower in the mezlocillin group. Short-term perioperative prophylactic antibiotics are indicated in patients undergoing radical hysterectomy.