Prostatectomy and prophylaxis

Because of increasing in vitro resistance to co-trimoxazole, in our unit, the author recently compared co-trimoxazole and pivmecillinam as prophylactic therapy in patients undergoing transurethral prostatectomy. Both treatments produced a significant reduction in post-operative bacteriuric episodes. The mean duration of hospitalization in patients receiving prophylactic antibiotics was six days. Patients in the control group remained in hospital for seven days (sterile urine post-operatively) or nine days (significant bacteriuria post-operatively). A short three-day course of either co-trimoxazole or pivmecillinam will reduce the potentially post-operative bacteriuria and may, because of the shorter duration of therapy, be less epidemiologically hazardous than a 10-day course.