RESUMO
An open prospective randomized trial was conducted in three Italian ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery departments on 120 patients aged 10 to 84 years, to compare a single pre-operative dose vs. three peri-operative doses of ceftazidime in surgical prophylaxis. Sixty patients in group I received 1 g ceftazidime intramuscularly (im) or intravenously (iv) 1 h before surgery, and 60 in group II received three 1 g doses of ceftazidime, im or iv, 1 h before, and 6 and 12 h after surgery. Post-operative infections were observed in six group I patients (10.1%) and seven group II patients (11.6%). All infections arose in patients who had undergone 'moderate-risk' (6.7%) or 'high-risk' surgery (30.5%). We conclude that a single pre-operative 1 g dose of ceftazidime is as efficacious as multiple peri-operative doses in the prophylaxis of infectious complications following this type of surgery.