role of cephalexin in controlling infection during intramedullary nailing of the femur

Forty-two cases of fracture of the shaft of the femur were divided into two groups of 21 cases each and were treated by insertion of a Kuntscher intramedullary nail. One group was given cephalexin preoperatively, during operation and postoperatively; the other was not. samples of the tissue fluids from the intramedullary canal and the Redi-Vac were tested both by broth turbidity and by culture and sensitivity. The results were compared by both laboratory and clinical data and it was concluded that cephalexin is an effective drug for the prophylaxis of infection during orthopaedic operative procedures