Biomaterial Database

Prophylactic use of gentamicin in colonic and rectal surgery. 1975

R C Burton, and E S Hughes, and A M Cuthbertson

A double-blind trial was performed to test whether a single intramuscular injection of 80 mg of gentamicin would significantly reduce the incidence of septic complications of elective colonic and rectal surgery. The gentamicin was given at the time of anaesthetic premedication, the operations were performed by either of two surgeons, and the patients were followed up by an independent investigator. Eighty patients satisfactorily completed the trial. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative wound infection, intraperitoneal abscess formation and faecal fistula between the 41 patients who received the gentamicin and the 39 who received the placebo. However, the mortality was significantly lower in the gentamicin group, in which there was only one death.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007412	Intestinal Fistula	An abnormal anatomical passage between the INTESTINE, and another segment of the intestine or other organs. External intestinal fistula is connected to the SKIN (enterocutaneous fistula). Internal intestinal fistula can be connected to a number of organs, such as STOMACH (gastrocolic fistula), the BILIARY TRACT (cholecystoduodenal fistula), or the URINARY BLADDER of the URINARY TRACT (colovesical fistula). Risk factors include inflammatory processes, cancer, radiation treatment, and surgical misadventures (MEDICAL ERRORS).	Cholecystoduodenal Fistula,Colovesical Fistula,Enterocutaneous Fistula,Fistula, Cholecystoduodenal,Fistula, Colovesical,Fistula, Enterocutaneous,Fistula, Intestinal
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010532	Peritoneal Diseases	Pathological processes involving the PERITONEUM.	Peritoneal Disease
D010919	Placebos	Any dummy medication or treatment. Although placebos originally were medicinal preparations having no specific pharmacological activity against a targeted condition, the concept has been extended to include treatments or procedures, especially those administered to control groups in clinical trials in order to provide baseline measurements for the experimental protocol.	Sham Treatment
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D012007	Rectum	The distal segment of the LARGE INTESTINE, between the SIGMOID COLON and the ANAL CANAL.	Rectums
D002986	Clinical Trials as Topic	Works about pre-planned studies of the safety, efficacy, or optimum dosage schedule (if appropriate) of one or more diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic drugs, devices, or techniques selected according to predetermined criteria of eligibility and observed for predefined evidence of favorable and unfavorable effects. This concept includes clinical trials conducted both in the U.S. and in other countries.	Clinical Trial as Topic
D003106	Colon	The segment of LARGE INTESTINE between the CECUM and the RECTUM. It includes the ASCENDING COLON; the TRANSVERSE COLON; the DESCENDING COLON; and the SIGMOID COLON.	Appendix Epiploica,Taenia Coli,Omental Appendices,Omental Appendix,Appendices, Omental,Appendix, Omental
D005243	Feces	Excrement from the INTESTINES, containing unabsorbed solids, waste products, secretions, and BACTERIA of the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.