Single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis in women undergoing elective caesarean section

This prospective, randomised, controlled trial was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis in decreasing the infectious morbidity following elective caesarean section. Two hundred women undergoing elective caesarean section were randomly assigned to receive either 1.2 g of Augmentin intravenously, or no treatment, just before the start of their caesarean section. The two groups of women were comparable in terms of patient characteristics and operation variables. The overall postoperative morbidity rate was 19% in the Augmentin treated group versus 38% in the group that received no prophylaxis (p < 0.01). The incidence of wound sepsis was 3% in the Augmentin group versus 13% in the control group (p < 0.01). The incidence of febrile morbidity with no identifiable cause was 8% in the Augmentin group versus 18% in the control group (p < 0.05). The duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the Augmentin group (p < 0.05). A single-dose of prophylactic Augmentin significantly reduced the postoperative morbidity and duration of hospital stay in women who underwent elective caesarean sections.