[Prevention of infectious complications of major upper respiratory and digestive tract surgery by the combination of pefloxacin-amoxicillin-clavulanic acid]. / Prévention des complications infectieuses de la chirurgie majeure des cancers des voies aéro-digestives supérieures par l'association: pefloxacine-amoxicilline acide clavulanique.

The authors report the results of a therapeutic trial aimed at assessing the efficacy and costs of a twin-antibiotic therapy associating Pefloxacin and Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for the prevention of infectious complications in major surgery for cancer of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts. The results obtained show 10% of complications, including 6.5% of local complications, with 4.5 to 9.5 day treatments. In our opinion, the poor results noted in the literature in studies on a simple intraoperative antibiotic prophylaxis confirm the need to use a real, so-called "curative" antibiotic therapy over a sufficient period for this type of surgery. This antibiotic therapy must be well tolerated, active for the contaminating organisms, produce no selection of resistant bacteria, and raise hopes to reduce postoperative infectious morbidity, therefore the costs of treatment.