A clinical trial of teicoplanin compared with a combination of flucloxacillin and tobramycin as antibiotic prophylaxis for cardiac surgery: the use of a scoring method to assess the incidence of wound infection

Abstract

A prospective randomized clinical trial is in progress to compare the efficacy of teicoplanin with flucloxacillin and tobramycin in the prevention of endocarditis and wound infection following cardiac surgery. To date, 198 patients have completed the trial, of whom 95 have received teicoplanin and 103 flucloxacillin and tobramycin. One patient developed prosthetic valve endocarditis 3 months after surgery covered by flucloxacillin and tobramycin. There was no significant difference in the incidence of sternal wound infection ( P = 0·15). Severe sternal sepsis occurred in four patients in the teicoplanin group and two in the flucloxacillin/tobramycin group. There were more postoperative urinary tract infections among those given teicoplanin (15 of 95 patients compared to six of 103 patients P < 0·05). The trial continues.