brl-28500 and Endometritis

To describe the microbiologic etiology of post-cesarean endometritis developing after perioperative cephalosporin prophylaxis, endometrial samples were obtained from 27 women with a triple-lumen catheter. The women were assigned in a double-blind, randomized fashion to receive either ticarcillin/clavulanate, 3.1 g, or cefoxitin, 2 g, administered every six hours, until the clinical signs of infection resolved. A total of 149 microorganisms (84 facultative and 65 obligate anaerobes) were recovered from 26 women, for a mean of 5.5 isolates per specimen. One endometrial specimen was sterile. Bacteroides and Peptostreptococcus species were the most frequent isolates, followed by Gardnerella vaginalis, Enterococcus, facultative gram-negative rods and Mycoplasma hominis. Each of the isolates was tested for beta-lactamase activity. At least one beta-lactamase-producing isolate was recovered from 56% of the specimens. Susceptibility testing of endometrial isolates demonstrated that 96% of 118 potential pathogens (Gardnerella, Bacteroides, Peptostreptococcus, enterococci and streptococci) were susceptible to ticarcillin/clavulanate. By comparison, 86% of these isolates were susceptible to cefoxitin in vitro. Women who were treated with ticarcillin/clavulanate were less likely to have a temperature greater than 38 degrees C for two or more days (8% vs. 57%, P = .01). Also, there was a trend toward a decreased duration of uterine tenderness in the ticarcillin/clavulanate group, but it did not attain statistical significance (60% vs. 86%, P = .4). However, the overall clinical success rate with these single-agent treatments was not different for the two groups (77% vs. 79%, P = 1.0).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Bacterial Infections; Bacteroides; Cefoxitin; Cephalosporins; Cesarean Section; Clavulanic Acids; Double-Blind Method; Drug Evaluation; Drug Therapy, Combination; Endometritis; Female; Humans; Penicillins; Peptostreptococcus; Postoperative Complications; Pregnancy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Ticarcillin

In an open study, ticarcillin/clavulanate was used to treat upper genital tract infections in 91 women. The clinical success rate was 92% in outpatient-acquired salpingitis (pelvic inflammatory disease), 50% in salpingitis with tuboovarian abscess, 85% in postpartum endometritis, 87% in endometritis after chorioamnionitis and 90% in postoperative parametritis. The primary adverse reaction was diarrhea, in 10 patients. Among the 129 aerobes isolated, 18 (14%) were beta-lactamase positive, as were 32% (20/63) of the anaerobes.

Topics: Abortion, Septic; Adult; Bacteria; beta-Lactamase Inhibitors; Cellulitis; Clavulanic Acids; Drug Evaluation; Drug Therapy, Combination; Endometritis; Female; Genital Diseases, Female; Humans; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Penicillins; Pregnancy; Ticarcillin

The efficacy of a single antibiotic--Timentin (ticarcillin with clavulanic acid)--was compared with a standard two antibiotic regimen (clindamycin and gentamicin) for the treatment of endomyometritis after cesarean delivery. The regimens were 3 grams of ticarcillin plus 100 milligrams of clavulanic acid given intravenously every four hours, or 600 milligrams of clindamycin given intravenously every six hours plus 3 to 5 milligrams per kilogram per day of gentamicin given intramuscularly. The diagnosis of endomyometritis was based upon an oral temperature of 100.4 degrees F. or higher on any two occasions, excluding the first 24 hours post partum, uterine tenderness and the absence of another focus of infection. Ninety-one patients were treated. Treatment failure rates were three of 49 in the clindamycin and gentamicin group and four of 42 of the ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid group. Treatment failures did not appear to be different from successes demographically or in risk factors for endomyometritis. The results of this study suggest that ticarcillin with clavulanic acid is as effective in the treatment of postcesarean endomyometritis as the standard regimen of clindamycin and gentamicin.

Topics: Adult; Bacterial Infections; beta-Lactamase Inhibitors; Cesarean Section; Clavulanic Acids; Clindamycin; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Combinations; Endometritis; Female; Gentamicins; Humans; Penicillins; Ticarcillin