Antibiotic prophylaxis at triage for simple traumatic wounds: a pilot study.

Abstract

Antibiotic administration at the time of wound manipulation has not been shown to decrease infection rates for simple traumatic wounds. Antibiotic administration at the time of initial emergency department (ED) presentation, however, has not been explored. Patients presenting to the ED with simple traumatic wounds received 1 g of oral flucloxacillin, or identical placebo, at triage. Wound closure was completed at the discretion of a physician blinded to study contents. Wound infection rates were determined at 1 month. Time from drug administration to wound manipulation was 64.3 min [95% confidence interval (CI) 36.6-91.9] placebo versus 75.0 min (95% CI: 51.7-98.3) flucloxacillin, P=0.657. Six of 36 patients (17%) reported wound infection in the placebo group, and four of 34 (12%) in the flucloxacillin group, P=0.736. Administration of oral flucloxacillin at triage failed to reduce the rate of wound infection for simple traumatic wounds closed in the ED.

• Authors: David Lord Cowell, Martyn Harvey, Grant Cave
• Journal: European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine (Eur J Emerg Med) Vol. 18 Issue 5 Pg. 279-81 (Oct 2011) ISSN: 1473-5695 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21389858 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)
• Copyright: © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Floxacillin

Topics

• Adult
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Antibiotic Prophylaxis (methods)
• Bacterial Infections (etiology, prevention & control)
• Confidence Intervals
• Female
• Floxacillin (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Male
• Pilot Projects
• Risk Factors
• Time Factors
• Triage (methods)
• Wounds and Injuries (complications, microbiology)