Evaluation of the role of prophylactic antibiotics in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective randomized trial.

At present the use of prophylactic antibiotics in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy is controversial. This prospective study was carried out to define the role of prophylactic antibiotics in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy to prevent postoperative infection. Ninety three patients were randomly placed in two groups. Group A comprised of 40 while group B consisted of 53 patients. Patients in Group A received 1.5 grams of second generation cephalosporin (cefuroxime sodium) diluted in 100ml of normal saline, at the time of induction of anesthesia. Group B patients received an equal volume of normal saline only. A sample of gall bladder bile was collected by direct gall bladder puncture intra-operatively for aerobic and anaerobic culture. Age, sex, weight of the patient, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification grade, presence of diabetes mellitus, episodes of colic 30 days preceding surgery, intra-operative gall bladder rupture, stone and / or bile spillage, results of bile culture, gall bladder histology, length of hospital stay, and number of septic complications were recorded and analyzed. In group A, one patient (2.5%) had post operative wound infection and in group B, two patients (3.8%) had post operative infection which was statistically similar (p>0.1). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of demographic, intra operative and post operative denominators. Therefore the study concluded that prophylactic antibiotics did not have a significant role to play in prevention of postoperative wound infection in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.