Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in abdominal surgery for hernia repair: retrospective study of 1,524 consecutive patients.

In the surgical units of our Division, from January 1979 to December 1989, the infection rate in surgical groin hernia repair was much higher than expected, in comparison to other reports in the literature. In order to evaluate if correct preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis could decrease the incidence of postoperative infections (wound, urinary and respiratory tract) after abdominal wall hernia repair surgery, a total of 1,524 consecutive patients undergoing this type of procedure were reviewed between January 1990 and December 1996. The patients were divided in three different groups, according to the antibiotic prophylaxis regimen: i) group A: 606 patients (39.8%) treated with ceftriaxone; ii) group B: 408 patients (26.8%) treated with pefloxacin; and iii) group C: 510 patients (33.4%) treated with different regimens using either cephalosporins or quinolones other than ceftriaxone and pefloxacin. Only 1 surgical wound infection was observed (0.06%). The tolerability was good: no significant side effects related to antibiotic prophylaxis were recorded in our experience. In this study, even though retrospective, single-dose ceftriaxone proved to be a valid and cost-effective choice in antibiotic prophylaxis.

[Experience in the treatment of external intestinal fistulas]. / Expérience dans le traitement des fistules intestinales externes.

In the last 5 years the authors have treated 30 cases of external intestinal fistulas with total parenteral nutrition. These cases are described and the results analyzed in relation to fistular secretion, age of patients and the early timing of treatment.

[Post-traumatic pneumomediastinum (not associated with pleuro-mediastinical organ's lesion). Two cases (author's transl)]. / Pneumomédiastin post-traumatique (non associé à des lésions des organes pleuro-médiastinaux). Deux observations.

The authors of this article describe two cases of post-traumatic pneumomediastinum, without pneumothorax and oesophageal or bronchial mucosal lesions. Both cases had a benign evolution. General considerations are discussed and the authors concluded that when pneumomediastinum is not associated with lesions of mediastinical organs no surgical treatment is usually required.

[The survival of an auxiliary transplanted liver in the inbred rat (author's transl)]. / La survivance d'un foie auxiliaire transplaté chez le rat inbred.

The authors propose a model of hepatic transplantation in the inbred rat which may be used for an immunological study. The whole liver is transplanted. It is orthofunctional, heterotopic and auxiliary. The technic is described in detail. Various improvements are proposed to give better results.