Because the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotic therapy has yet to be established and because numerous variables often hamper studies of such therapy, the results of prophylactic antibiotic therapy were studied in a homogeneous gynecologic population. The patients were 4000 women undergoing first trimester abortions. The surgical procedure, the gynecologists' skill, and the hospital environment were relatively uniform, as was the patient age range. Two groups of 1000 patients each received tetracycline; the other 2000 patients served as controls. The complications associated with abortion were then analyzed in those receiving tetracycline and in the 2000 controls. Complications were less frequent among patients receiving tetracycline. This finding supports the argument of those who favor the prophylactic use of antibiotics in the management of various high-risk surgical problems.
PIP: An evaluative study of the prophylactic use of tetracycline in 1st-trimester abortions is presented. 2 groups of 1000 patients received 1.5 gm of tetracycline hydrochloride, orally, 2-3 hours before the abortion procedure, followed by 500 mg every 6 hours for 4 days. 2 groups of 1000 patients served as controls. The patient population and operative conditions were relatively uniform. The total complication rates for the antibiotic groups were 3.4% and 2.9%, and 9.1% and 8.8% for the controls. 118 of the control group patients experienced major complications compared with 45 patients in the antibiotic group. The results tend to support the arguments for the use of antibiotics in managing high-risk surgical procedures.