Abstract
To find out if a long preoperative stay in hospital results in the introduction of micro-organisms into the gastric flora that are resistant to the usual perioperative chemoprophylaxis. Observational study. Teaching hospital, Greece. 145 consecutive patients admitted for abdominal or pelvic operations. Aspiration of gastric fluid for measurement of pH and culture. Growth and type of pathogens in gastric aspirate. 125 patients spent a mean (range) of 13.6 days (7-69) in hospital preoperatively and 20 patients spent 3.1 (1-7) days. In the long-stay group 103 had a gastric pH of <4 and in 22 it was 4 or more; in 40 patients pathogens were grown from the gastric aspirate but resistant Pseudomonas cepacia was grown from only 2. In the short-stay group 16 patients had a pH of <4 and in 4 it was 4 or more; in 4 patients pathogens were grown from the aspirate. Prolonged stay in hospital preoperatively does not seem to affect the gastric flora, so routine chemoprophylaxis should be sufficient in abdominal operations.
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