Intracameral cefuroxime injection at the end of cataract surgery reduces the incidence of endophthalmitis, a French study

Purpose To show the interest of intra-camerular injection of cefuroxime at the end of cataract surgery to decrease the incidence of post-operative endophthalmitis. Methods 5115 patients operated from cataract between april 2003 and june 2008 were prospectively and exhaustively included in a survey for operative site infection. Intracameral Cefuroxime injection started in june 2006, so 2289 patient received Cefuroxime, and 2826 did not. Pre-operative data (betalactamin allergy, history of endophthalmitis, age, sex) and intraoperative data (use of trypan blue, capsular ring or iris retractors, surgical time, senior or junior surgeon, corticosteroids injection, iris retractors), and postoperative infections at 8 days and 1 month were prospectively collected. Results Respectively, the incidence of endophthalmitis without and with cefuroxime intracamerular injection was 35 of 2826 patients (1,238 %) and 1 of 2289 patients (0,044 %) (p < 0,0001). None of intraoperative factors we considered has been significantly associated to postoperative infection. No allergic reaction has been reported. Conclusion Intracamerular Cefuroxime injection at the end of cataract surgery is a safe procedure to significatively decrease the incidence of endophthalmitis.